Angels on the Battlefield
by MelodiousAlchemist
Summary: Verena Engel had seen plenty of cocky and arrogant trainees claiming they would stop the Titans, but after graduating one rank under top, she vowed she would never be one of them. Little did she know she would end up meeting and working under one of humanities most cocky AND arrogant soldiers. OC x Cannon. Rated M for swearing and violence, along with an adult scene.
1. From Zero to Zero?

**Hey guys~! Just a few pointers for this story: Verena is 24 currently. This first chapter begins when she is nineteen, and she graduates when she is 23. This chapter moves extremely fast, and jumps around slightly. I AM AWARE OF THIS. It was written like that for a reason. Jean is not Verena's love interest, I promise you. They're close friends. Her love interest comes in later~  
>If you like this, please let me know~! Tell me what you guys think~!<br>**

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_I was nineteen when it happened. It was something that no one, not even my parents, had seen coming. A lot of people don't understand the true terror of these things we call, 'Titans.' They have to experience it firsthand to truly understand what fear is. I've experienced that fear. I've __**survived**__ that fear. And, I plan on surviving through it for as long as my heart beats, and as long as my blood flows red._

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"Alright, now listen up!" The all-too-familiar bellows of her commanding officer echoed throughout the silent grounds, immediately silencing anyone who dared to speak during his lectures. Glancing around, she saw several of the trainees were missing; something that happened quite often apparently. She had heard tales of trainees abandoning their training due to it being too body-wrecking, or some of them even dying from the hardships they encountered.

But, that was something she couldn't do just yet. She wouldn't die; she refused to. Her parents had raised her better than to just keel over and give into the cold hands of death. She watched as Shadis tromped in front of her, her half-lidded, sky-blue eye piercing his own amber ones. "Been training hard, Engel?" She blinked her eye slowly, never once leaving direct eye contact with her superior. "Yes, Sir." She answered swiftly and curtly, her reply short and to the point.

"Well then. You're certainly going to need it today." He moved away from her face, and moved his hands behind his back. "We're starting our 3D Maneuver training today, so get yourselves ready!" With that, everyone saluted their officer, and hurried off to get themselves ready.

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"How the hell did you do that, today?" Verena stopped, her dinner just inches away from her lips. "What do you mean, Jean?" He slid onto the bench beside her, a small loaf of bread held firmly in his fingers. "I mean, how the hell did you stay so calm in front of Shadis? He's scary as hell!" She sighed quietly, taking a slight sip of the water inside her cup. "It's not that hard, Jean. He's just trying to teach us to survive, and I've recognized that fact."

Jean pursed his lip slightly, tearing off a bit of bread and swallowing it. "Hey. Can I ask you something?" Verena looked over at him, her normal, happy smile still on her lips. "Sure thing!" He hesitantly moved his hand up, the very tips of his middle and forefinger touching the bandages covering her left eye. "What happened?"

This made everyone get quiet; something Verena hated deeply. She hated being the center of attention. But, she knew that he deserved an answer to his question. She rose to her feet, very slowly lifting her shirt to reveal the skin just above her bellybutton. Going across the entire length of her middle was a large scar, and this made Jean's eyes widen slightly.

"Both of my wounds were received during the fall of Wall Maria. I was one of the last citizens to make it aboard the boats that left the outer wall, and thank God I did. After we got into Wall Rose, I somehow wound up being bandaged and treated by a medical officer. I won't show you my eye, but I assure you I'm not blind. I simply don't like people seeing my scars," she replied, letting her shirt fall back into its normal position.

Jean glanced away for a moment, and then took another large bite of his bread. "Well… it's certainly better than showing off like Jeager over there," he hissed. "At least you're not bragging that you survived the fall. That's all the ass seems to do…" Verena gave him a slight smile, and then looked at all the young men and women in the room. She was the oldest out of the entire 104th Training Squad, and the only reason they allowed her to join at her age was due to the fact she had already seen the Titans and observed them during the fall of her home.

Tonight was the first night she had been the center of attention. Usually, all the trainees were busy interviewing Eren, or wondering how the girl named Mikasa Ackerman was so good at literally everything she did. Even though a lot of people who had survived Wall Maria had joined the training squad, only a select few seemed to get noticed.

Jean was about the only one who seemed to talk to Verena continuously; he had since the second night of training. She had also formed a slight bond with the blonde-haired girl named Annie Leonhardt, though it was more of a competitive bond than anything else. Over the past year she had been in training, she had made sure to train as hard as she possibly could; something that most trainees called her insane for doing.

But, she had her reasons for doing such. Those reasons weren't clear to most trainees, but that was only because she kept to herself most of the time. Throughout the past year, she had watched trainee after trainee give up or die from the work, and she was determined to make her way through, one way or another.

A soft nudge to her shoulder drew her out of her reminiscing, and she blinked when she noticed Jean holding out what was left of his bread to her. "Here. You worked a hell of a lot harder than I did… you deserve it."

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Two Years Later

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Verena scoffed loudly, her hand furiously working to dust off anything within her reach. "Eleventh place. Eleventh place! How dare they do this to me! I swear I trained harder than any person in that whole goddamn squad! Just because I'm not God doesn't mean I'm not-" She was stopped by a knocking on her door, and she glared at the wooden structure over her shoulder. "What is it?" she barked.

"Hey, hey… calm down. It's only me. I knew you'd be in here…" The door opened to reveal a tuft of ash-brown hair, and Verena sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Jean. I'm just extremely upset. I needed to clean something before I did something that I would regret later," she replied as she sat down on her bed. "Hmph, you and your anger cleaning…" Jean muttered as he took his place on her bed beside her.

"I just wanted to see you at least once more," he continued as his gaze dropped to the wooden floor in front of him. A slight silence lingered about the room, and Verena played with her thumbs. "That's right… you're heading off to the MP, right?" He gave a slight nod, and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "This might be the last day we get to see each other."

She gave a slight laugh, trying to fend off the obvious tears clouding her eyes. "You make it sound as if we're a couple or something, Jean…" He gave her a slight smile, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Well… though that would have been nice…" Verena felt her cheeks turn slightly red, and she nudged his shoulder playfully. "It's too late to ask me now!"

He chuckled, and moved a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Hey, promise me something, okay?" She glanced over at him, and tilted her head slightly. "What is it, Jean?" He blinked slowly, and gave a deep sigh. "Wherever you end up after this, promise me that you'll never give up. You've come too far to die now. Promise me that you'll be one of the heroes one day." This took Verena aback slightly, but she curled her fist, placing it directly over her heart.

"**_I promise_**."


	2. Why Me?

_**Heya guys~! This chapter moves kinda fast as well, I just really didn't want to have to go through all the fall of Wall Rose again. :/ Just a heads up! If you like this, please let me know~! Tell me what you guys think~!  
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_It wasn't even that long, really. I mean, hell. We graduated, only to be forced right into battle. I know I promised Jean that I would become one of the heroes of humanity, but did I really have to get such an early start? I fought through the fall of Wall Rose, and I was one of the few who survived. Well, of course I was. I'm here telling this story, aren't I?_

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She had always had it set in her mind to join the Scouting Regiment, but now she wanted to more than ever. After watching nearly all of her former trainee mates die horrible, gruesome deaths thanks to the Titans, she wanted to be of as much help as possible.

And, in order for that to be possible, she wanted to join the Scouting Regiment. She was one of the few soldiers who stayed behind to join, along with Mikasa Ackerman, Eren Jeager, Connie Springer, and even Jean, much to her surprise. It had been around a week since then, and she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched constantly. She would soon come to find that her senses had not failed her.

Since the fall and 'repair' of Wall Rose, Verena had been tending to whatever she could possibly get her hands on. If she found any type of documents at all, she read them. If she had any time left in the day, she spent it training. Her mind was entirely set on strengthening and conditioning her body as much as physically and mentally possible. This slightly worried Jean, seeing as how she was one of the few close friends that had survived the invasion. He didn't want to lose another one, and he was beginning to regret making her promise to become one of humanities heroes.

He sat outside on the grass, watching his brown-haired friend fly through a small forest inside the walls. His amber eyes followed her figure, his hands taking a slightly tighter grip on the blades of green grass below him. She finally made her way to the ground, collapsing in a panting heap in front of him. "Hey, you shouldn't train yourself so roughly, you know? You're going to hurt yourself," Jean said as he tried to fix her disheveled hair. She attempted to form a reply, but she couldn't due to her lack of breath.

"Excuse me!" This loud, sing-songy exclamation caught both of their attention, and their heads turned to see a tall, scraggly brown-haired woman with glasses hastily pounding towards them. She literally slid to a halt on her knees in front of the duo, a huge grin on her face. "Your name is Verena Engel, right?" Verena stared at her, slightly disturbed by the woman. "U-um… yes. That's me…"

"Good! Now come with me!" the woman exclaimed as she grabbed Verena's hand in her own and forced her to follow her. Jean blinked, watching his friend get dragged off across the fields; there wasn't much he could do, anyway.

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When the woman finally stopped dragging the poor girl around, Verena noticed she was now standing outside a small set of cabins. "Excuse my rude intrusion…" The woman giggled sheepishly, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "My name is Hanji Zoe. I've been observing you over the past few weeks." This made Verena raise her eyebrow. Who was she to watch her? Was she some kind of stalker?

"Um… that's nice, I guess?" Hanji blinked, and then laughed heartily. "I was watching you because you caught my scientific interest. It's not normal for someone to train and study all day and night after they graduate. Plus, you have amazing skills. I heard you graduated just one place under top rank, right?"

This made Verena sigh quietly. "Yes. I made a promise to a close friend that I would become a hero of humanity, and I never break my promises." Hanji grinned. "Good! That's just what I wanted to hear! Levi!"

Verena's eyes widened slightly as the well-renowned raven-haired man walked out from inside one of the cabins. "What the hell is it, Shitty Glasses?" he muttered, obviously irritated at being called over. Hanji turned on her heel to face him, her grin spreading across her features once again. "This is the one I was telling you about! The one who graduated right under top rank!"

Levi's gaze turned over to Verena, and he cocked his eyebrow. "Her? That's her? Are you sure?" Hanji nodded and cackled gaily. "I'm sure!" Levi rolled his eyes, and then made his way in front of Verena. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Shitty Glasses. Is it true that you train every day?" She gave a slight nod, watching as Hanji skipped off somewhere.

"Well. What would you say about training with my squadron? I hand-picked them, so you'll be receiving the best possible skills and overviewing you could ever receive." Verena stared at him. She had heard so much about Levi, 'Humanities Strongest Soldier," and his squadron. She just couldn't believe that he was asking her to train with them.

"Sir, may I ask why you've chosen me? Out of everyone in the whole 104th?" she asked, seriously wanting to know his answer. He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm not going to answer that just yet. Now, you must keep this under constant secrecy. Do you understand? For the time being, anyway."

Verena gave a quick nod. "Y-yes, Sir!" Levi turned on his heel, his hand gesturing inside. "Come on. It's getting late. Head inside. You'll be staying here from now on until things with Jaeger are sorted out. Tomorrow, you'll meet the rest of my squad, and I'll assign you to whomever I think is right to be your overall instructor."

She nodded once again, and headed inside. All of this was happening so suddenly. Her head was spinning in a million different directions, and she had to wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to begin training with the most famous soldier humanity had ever known. She walked into the only room with an open door, immediately knowing it was her own. They must have prepared for her.

In all honesty, she had no idea what to expect. Why her? Mikasa Ackerman was far better in every area than she was, hell. She wasn't even in the top ten. Why had she been picked? She continued to think even more as she laid down on the small bed inside the nearly empty room. She wondered what the rest of Levi's squad would be like. She laid herself down, staring at the ceiling overhead.

"**_Well… these past few months certainly have been eventful. But, everything happens for a reason, right? So hopefully something good will come out of this…_**"


	3. Assignment

**Hey again, guys~! Chapter three is here, yay~! I promised it would slow down, and I kept that promise! Heehee, I had fun writing this chapter. It's fun when you get to write in different personalities!  
>As always, please let me know what you guys think! I love hearing from you!<br>**

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_Well, it certainly was unexpected. I mean, I didn't think I would end up training with some of the most renowned soldiers humanity had at its disposal. But, in all honesty, that wasn't even the biggest part of my surprise._

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Verena was awoken to a loud whinny outside of her window. She whined, quickly sitting herself up and brushing down her hair with her fingers. "What the hell was that…?" she muttered, slowly rising to her feet. She hobbled her way over to her door, opening it only to be greeted by a blur of flesh speeding down the hallway. From around the corner, she heard a loud, "I'm going to kill you, Eld!"

She blinked slowly, trying to get the naked image of… whoever that was out of her head. "Well… this certainly is an interesting morning," she mumbled as she cautiously walked out into the long hallway. She heard a lot of loud laughter coming from the room the naked man had hurriedly rushed into, and she smiled a bit. It was good to hear genuine laughter again, especially in a world where it was so scarce.

She ventured outside, wondering what the hell had woken her up. To her surprise, one of the horses had gotten out of its stall, and was outside of her room. She saw Levi wrangling with it, and she giggled. "Here, Heichou. Let me help you," she said as she ran over and grabbed the reins of the rearing animal. "Whoa! Whoa… easy, boy…" she hissed gently, calming the creature down slightly. She continued this about twice more, and finally managed to get him calmed down to where she could gently stroke his muzzle.

"Good boy… now come on," she commanded, slowly leading the huffing horse back into his stall. Once she was certain the lock was good and tight, she ran her fingers through her slightly disheveled hair. "You're a handful, you know that?" she said, a smile creeping upon her lips as she reached over the small door and stroked his mane gently. This earned a small whine of a whinny, and she felt him nuzzle himself against her hand. When she finally turned around, she blinked at the five pairs of surprised eyes now staring at her.

Four of these people she had never seen before; well, aside from the man with a brown tuft of hair… he was the one who had scarred her eyesight streaking down the hall right after she woke up this morning. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was perhaps behind her, and then turned her attention back to the group in front of her. "Um… why are you guys staring at me like I'm some kind of freak?" she asked, a slightly nervous smile plastered upon her face.

"No one has ever been able to tame Auruo's horse that quickly before. It's always taken all four of us to restrain him. How the hell did you do that?" She glanced over at the tall, blonde-haired man that asked her the question. "O-oh… um… I've always loved animals. Sometimes they just need a little less force, and a bit more comfort and reassurance…" she replied, her hand rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Well, now that we've all seen her, I suppose I should tell you that this is the new cadet you four will be overseeing." They all looked at one another, and gave slight nods. "Now, don't be idiots. Introduce yourselves," Levi commanded with a slight scowl.

The first one to walk in front of her was the blonde man who had confronted her about her horse-taming skills. He bowed politely at his waist, his striking blue eyes peering directly into her own un-bandaged one. "My name is Eld Jinn. Levi Heichou told us a little about you, Ms. Engel." She smiled slightly at his politeness, giving him her own slight bow. "It's very nice to meet you, Eld."

He made his way over beside Levi, only to be replaced with a shorter, slightly darker-skinned man. The man whom she had had the pleasure of seeing naked this morning. He moved his hand behind his neck, a very slight, almost unnoticeable blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm sorry about this morning, Ms. Engel. I meant no disrespect to you. Someone-" He stopped, glaring at Eld out of the corner of his eye. "-stole my clothes. A-anyway, my name is Gunther Schultz. I hope I can be an adequate trainer for you." With this, he also made his way beside his captain.

A young woman made her way in front of her, her hands behind her back. "My name is Petra Ral. I hope that we can perhaps be friends, Ms. Engel." Verena tilted her head slightly. It seemed as though the two men were much more… how could she describe it? Inviting with her than Petra seemed to be. When Petra made her way beside Levi, she was replaced with the final member of the group.

He was a taller man, his hands folded across his chest, and a slight, arrogant grin on his lips. She noticed that he seemed a bit older than the rest of the members, but she immediately knew it was only because of his 'elder marks' as she called them. She also took note that he had a white cravat around his neck, and a hairstyle that very much resembled that of Levi's, aside from the ash-brown color of it.

"The name is Auruo. Auruo Bossard. Second under Levi Heichou in Titan killing. I've killed thirty-nine of those bastards all by myself," he stated, a proud smirk forming on his lips. Verena couldn't help but giggle quietly. "That's quite a lot, you know." Auruo's lips pursed into a slight frown. "Hey now, little brat. That's not something to laugh about. Hell, I bet you'd pay anything to learn from someone like m-" He stopped as he bit down on his tongue roughly, a bit of blood running down the corner of his mouth, and a yelp of pain escaping his throat.

This earned a loud laugh from Eld, and Gunther just rubbed his temples in disappointment. Verena simply looked at him and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, white cloth she was carrying with her. She reached up, moving his hand away from his mouth and gently wiping the blood from his skin. "Don't talk so fast…" she said quietly, and he glanced away from her. "Thank you…" he muttered quietly.

"Alright. Now that you've all been acquainted, the four of you go attend to your duties. Verena and I have something to discuss," Levi said, shooting them all a slight glare. They all nodded, and quickly paced off to whatever he had told them to do previously.

Verena made her way over in front of the Corporal, playing with the ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. "What did you wish to speak to me about, Corporal?" He scoffed. "I believe I told you yesterday that I would assign you one of my subordinates as your official caretaker, did I not? After your brief introductions, I've picked my choice as to who that soldier shall be."

She tilted her head slightly, and he cocked his eyebrow. "From this moment on, you are being assigned to Auruo." She blinked, and stared at him, a confused look on her face.

**_She had just been assigned to the cockiest and most arrogant man on the face of the planet._**


	4. Getting to Know One Another

**Heya guys~! Sorry for the late-night post, but I was really busy today. Anyway, just a slight warning for this chapter. This is how I PERSONALLY portray Auruo. The way that I personally portray him may be different from how most people do, so please respect that. Remember that I love you all, and tell me what you guys think! I love hearing from you!**

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_I personally didn't want to believe Levi when he told me who was to be my new caretaker. Now, realize that caretaker means I had to __**bunk**__ with this man I had known for literally all of three to five minutes. Not only that, he was cocky and arrogant, and a __**male**__. It just… didn't sit right with me. I thought he would pair me with Petra, because men and women soldiers bunking together… wasn't 'normal' per say._

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"But, Sir! I couldn't possibly bunk with a man I just met! That's not-" Levi held out his hand, bringing the girl to a reluctant silence. "I would not pair you with someone I believed would hurt you in any way, Verena. Auruo is not a man who would do anything like that, trust my words. I am making him your caretaker for a reason. That reason may not be clear to you just yet, but it will be," Levi stated, folding his arms across his chest.

Verena couldn't believe it. She was being forced to share a room with a man she barely knew. "Fine, but I want some answers of my own, dammit." Her tone caught Levi slightly off guard, and he cocked his eyebrow. "Oh? And what answers would those be, hmm?" She gave him a slight glare, and placed her right hand on her hip. "I want to know exactly why you picked me. Out of the entire 104th, why did you pick me?"

Levi rolled his eyes, a deep sigh leaving his slightly parted lips. "Fine. I'll tell you why I picked you. Because you had something that no one else seemed to have aside from Eren Jeager, and that was Shitty Glasses' attention. Whenever Shitty Glasses takes attention in someone, they usually end up being extremely important. So, there's your answer. Happy now, brat?"

She sighed and nodded slowly. "Yes, Sir. I suppose I should go get acquainted with him, hmm?" Levi gave a slight tilt of his head to say yes, and he thumbed over his shoulder. "I assigned him to the inner cabins today. Back four rooms. Go." She pursed her lip slightly, and then walked off back inside the cabins.

When she finally managed to locate her new caretaker, he was in the back corner of one of the rooms, muttering to himself as he scrubbed the wooden floors. "Erm… Auruo? That is your name, right?" Verena asked as she padded beside him and tilted her head slightly. He glanced up at her, his expression one of complete unamusement. "Of course. You're not telling me you forgot my name already, are you?" he asked before returning to his work.

"O-oh, no… I was just making sure I was pronouncing it correctly and such. So um… Levi Heichou assigned you as my caretaker…" He stopped, pulling himself up so he sat on his knees. He gave a deep, heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Me? Tch, figures. Well, alright. Grab a cloth and start helping me," he said as he held out a white bandana.

She gently took it from his grasp, tying it loosely around her neck. She took the band out of her hair and used it to put it up into a bun, and then dropped to her knees beside her new overseer. He glanced over at her one more time, and then returned to scrubbing the walls in front of him. Verena followed his lead, dipping her cloth into the tin bucket containing lukewarm water and running it across the dirtied areas.

It was silent between the two for a while, before Auruo decided to break it with something simple. "Hey…" Verena sat up on her knees, her gaze turning over to him. "I uh, wanted to give you a proper thank you for what you did earlier. I didn't mean to come across as rude." She felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips, and she nodded slightly. "It was no big deal, really. I was happy to help. That looked like it hurt…" A cocky grin suddenly broke out on his face, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you kidding? Nothing can hurt me! I don't get hurt that easily."

She gave a soft sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "_And there he goes again…_" she thought before playfully flicking some water off the ends of her fingertips at him. He blinked, and cocked his eyebrow. "What the hell was that, brat?" She giggled, and returned to her cleaning without another word. He scoffed, and moved to another area of the room to continue their work.

It took the duo until sundown to finish what Levi had assigned them for the day. Verena didn't really think cleaning was much help in her training, but maybe she would start something tomorrow. She knew that Levi was busy preparing for the upcoming trial to decide to fate of Eren Jaeger, and he probably had to worry more about that than her own personal training.

Throughout the course of the day, the two of them had conversed about many subjects, just to get to know each other a bit better. Verena figured out that even though Auruo boasted a lot about himself, he was still a very caring and concerned man on the inside. She also found out several other things, such as how he had never been with a woman before, much to her surprise.

He had told her it was a personal thing, much along the lines of her own beliefs that love waits until the right moment. She thought that was rather interesting, seeing as how most men she had come across in her life thought the exact opposite. Her opinion about him had changed a bit, and she wasn't so concerned about him being her caretaker anymore.

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The two sat in the squad mess hall, listening to the conversations take place between the other three members of Squad Levi as they partook in their nightly rations. Gunther was still irked at what Eld had done to him that morning, and Petra was attempting to douse the fire between the two of them. Verena could tell that Gunther and Eld wouldn't really start anything with each other just by how they were acting. Gunther was more distraught and embarrassed than full out enraged with the blonde.

"Oi, I think Verena and I are going to retire for the night…" Auruo said as he rose to his feet. Petra scowled, placing her hand on her hip. "Auruo, you should stop trying to act like the Corporal. It really is annoying." He smirked, and fixed his cravat. "I don't have to take orders from you. Come along, Verena," he replied as he made his way out into the halls of the cabin. She followed his orders, rising to her feet and giving a quick bow goodnight before heading after him.

"Since you'll be staying with me from now on, we'll have to move your bed into my room. Unfortunately, it's much too hard to do that at night, so you'll just use mine for tonight. That's not an issue, hmm?" It took Verena a moment to comprehend what he had told her, and when she finally understood, she flushed slightly. He had meant she would have to share his bed with him.

"Well… um… I mean, that is a bit strange to me, but I can deal with it…" she replied, her voice lowering with embarrassment. She had never shared a bed with anyone, much less a man before. When the two of them arrived in his room, Auruo shut the door behind them. Verena had to admit, she was nervous as hell. She knew Auruo wouldn't try to do anything, but she still couldn't help herself.

She shed herself of her jacket, folding it neatly and placing it on one of the small tables that resided in the corner of his room. She took off the straps from her uniform, a soft sigh of relief leaving her lips. It was always good to take those things off after having them on literally all day. She decided it would probably be best to just leave her white shirt and pants on for the night, even though she would be hot as hell. She wasn't just going to strip in front of someone she barely knew.

She let her hair down, tossing it over her shoulders before turning to look at Auruo. He had taken off his shirt, and she noticed several scars across his chest and back. This surprised her slightly, and he seemed to notice. "Wondering about how I got these? Don't worry, a lot of people do. Some are from debris, others are from Titans themselves…" he said, placing his shirt beside hers on the table.

"Unlike the rest of what I do, I don't wear these scars proudly. Some soldiers think it's amazing to have scars because we 'survived the Titans'… but, in truth, they're memories of things we couldn't accomplish and people we've lost." This was a different side of Auruo that Verena took a slight liking to. He wasn't being cocky, or arrogant. He was being sincere, and actually caring about what he felt. She had only known him for one day, and she had learned so much about her superior.

"Well… you're not the only one with scars," she replied, reaching behind her neck and underneath her hair. She unwrapped the bandages from around her head, and slowly pulled the white strip of cloth down into her hand. Underneath, lay her left eye, a deep scar trailing down the center of it. "I've never shown anyone my eye before, not even my best friend. It happened during the fall of Wall Maria, along with this…" She lifted her shirt, showing him the scar that stretched across her middle.

"Verena…" She glanced up, seeing the man taking a seat on his bed. "Listen to me. I want you to know that I would never hurt you, alright? I know that I'm a cocky bastard and I'm stupid and naive, but you're one of us now. Whether or not you're a legitimate member of the squad doesn't matter to me." This took her by surprise. She wasn't expecting such a serious matter to come from him.

"Now come on. We need to rest. I'm going to train you tomorrow." She nodded slightly, moving her hand to put her bandage back over her eye. She felt something grip her wrist, and when she looked, she saw Auruo's hand. "Don't. Leave it off. You don't have to hide your scars, Verena. They don't change who you are." She gave a slight smile, and she placed her bandage on top of her shirt. She then climbed into Auruo's bed, which was just big enough for the both of them.

It felt strange with someone so close to her, but she didn't mind right now. She waited until she was certain he was asleep, and then closed her eyes to drift off into her own world.

**_For the first time in a very, very long time, Verena Engel slept entirely through the night_**.


	5. Early Birds

_**Woo~! Chapter 5~! Nothing much to say about this one, aside from the fact I love playing as Auruo. He's fun~! As always, let me know what you guys think, and don't forget I love you all~!**_

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_To be honest, it wasn't __**that**__ bad. It only lasted one night, but… now that I look back on it, I wish it was more. Not because of the reason you think. But, because of the warmth he gave. When you're living in a world full of death, depression, and despair, warmth is hard to find. __**Real**__ warmth. And I had found it that night._

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When Auruo awoke the next morning, he found his bed empty. This gained his immediate attention, and he shot up, his sheets flying off of his body. "Verena? Oi, brat!" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes to clear them of their blurriness. When he finally adjusted to the light, he saw an already dressed Verena Engel standing on the opposite side of the small room.

"What the hell? Why are you up already? It's too damn early," Auruo muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Because my training starts early. So come on!" she replied as she tossed his uniform against his chest. He groaned and ran his hand down his face, slowly rising to his feet. As he got dressed, he noticed that Verena still had her bandages off from last night.

"Oi, you're not going to put them back on?" he asked as he gestured to the pile of white cloth laying on his table. She glanced over at them, and then slowly shook her head. "No. I thought about what you said last night, and you're right. I shouldn't be afraid or ashamed of the scars on my body. So, I'm leaving it off."

He pulled his boot onto his body, and then stood upright, fixing his cravat. "Whatever you want, brat. Now come on," he said as he walked out into the halls of the cabin. Verena sighed quietly. She did miss whenever he was being so kind to her. She didn't particularly care for the nickname, 'brat.'

The two of them made their way through the dim light of dawn, heading out to the training fields designed for the soldiers of the Scouting Regiment. They weren't used very much anymore, seeing as how most of the training was learned during trainee camp, and most soldiers died before they had time to train. Levi had used these very grounds to teach and train the rest of his squad, and now it was Auruo's turn to be the teacher.

"Now, from what I've heard, you're already quite skilled at what you do. But, that's not gonna be enough out on the field. So from now on, I'm going to teach you exactly what to do and how to do it. For example." He stopped, his body whipping around and his fist headed straight for her jaw. She immediately stopped it with her palm, her heel digging slightly into the grass. "What the hell was that for?" she asked, her hand trembling slightly from the force he had applied to it.

"Very good. Your instincts and reaction time are just right. That's extremely important out against the Titans, brat. Make sure you remember that." She waved her hand around a bit, trying to make the pain recede. "Auruo… hold on a second. You know, I really don't like the name brat. Could you call me something else?" He cocked his eyebrow, and gave a quiet scoff. "Fine the, as you wish, Freckles."

She squeaked at the nickname, but thought it was kind of cute. "Alright, that's better. Better than brat, anyway." He smirked slightly, and then tapped on the 3D Maneuver Gear attached around his waist. "Alright. Lesson two. We're going to practice how you cut the flesh of a Titan's nape. Everyone has their own 'style', per say, but I want to see yours. Come on." With that, he fired his hooks into a nearby tree, heading off into the small woodland in front of them.

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Around midday, Auruo and Verena finally stopped their training. But, the girl was still ready and raring to go. "Goddamn, do you ever calm down or tire out? Geez," the man muttered as he rubbed his temples with his forefinger and thumb. He sat down on the grass, and noticed that Verena immediately plopped down beside him. "You're like a dog, or a duck. You know that?" She giggled and laid down on her back, staring into the blue sky.

"It's how I've always been. I always try to be friends with everyone I meet. Although… I should have learned my lesson from that…" This slightly caught Auruo's attention, and he glanced down at the brown-haired woman. "What do you mean?" She sighed, turning herself onto her left side and curling into herself slightly. "I made 'friends' with the wrong people one time… I uh…" She stopped, not saying anything else.

"Verena. You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable enough," Auruo stated, fiddling around with something on his maneuvering gear. "They tried to do things to me, Auruo… if it weren't for my father being overprotective… they would have had their way with me…" she whispered, slightly biting down on her lower lip.

Auruo blinked slowly, realizing what she had meant by her words. "Oh... is that why you were so upset about having to bunk with me?" She sat up, nodding her head as she did so. "Yes. I've gotten over it for the most part, but some of what they did to me still remains. I'm just thankful they didn't do anything too bad…"

It was silent between them for a few moments, and then Auruo rose to his feet. "Come on. I'm going to treat you to lunch. Consider it repayment for me being a cocky bastard to you this whole time," he said as he held out his hand. Her lips slowly formed into a smile, and she gripped his hand as he pulled her to her feet. "Now hurry up, Freckles. I'm starving," he said as he walked off. She blinked and hurried after him. "H-hey! Wait up!"

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The rest of the day dragged on, and the time was now around midnight. The duo had an 'interesting' rest of the day, seeing as how Levi had told them to clean the entire front of the cabins. It had taken them until now to finish, and both were deadbeat tired.

Auruo groaned as he shut his door, immediately throwing off his shirt and falling back onto his bed. "Damn… I think Heichou needs to find another damn hobby… or at least help us…" he breathed. Verena whined as she laid down on her bed that the two had moved into his room during the process of their cleaning. "I'll say…" she replied as she took off the straps from around her body.

Once those had been taken off, she began to take off her shirt, which caught the attention of her caretaker. "Um… Verena, what are you doing?" he asked; she could hear his tone raise slightly. "Taking off my shirt. Don't worry, I wear an armless cover underneath," she replied as she threw off her white uniform shirt, revealing her tan undercover.

"Alright. I just didn't think you'd-" "Auruo, I trust you. Believe me, I would know if I couldn't trust you. You're a good man," she interrupted, shooting him a slight smile. This earned a small hint of one from him and he stretched himself out on his bed, his arms behind his head. "God, I'm tired. You know, I don't mind that whole early workout thing, Verena. So let's make that our thing every morning, okay?"

She grinned, and nodded happily before laying down on her side to face him. "Now get some rest, Verena. You need it." He heard no response from her, and when he looked, he saw she had already fallen asleep. He shook his head, a slightly amused smile on his lips. "Tch… little brat…" he whispered to himself before closing his eyes.

"**_Sleep well, Freckles_**."


	6. Promises Under Blue Skies

**Hey guys~ Chapter 6 is up EXTREMELY late. In all honesty, I got really distracted today. Q w Q So please forgive me! I'll still post another chapter 'today' just like always, so it will be the same as normal~! Don't forget to tell me how ya feel, and don't forget I love ya all~! **

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About a month and a half had passed, and much had changed since Eren had been inducted into the care of Levi's squad. For one, Hanji was so much more concerned with the Titan-shifter they now had in their possession rather than her original concern, Verena. Levi and the others had to keep a constant eye on Eren and his abilities, so it seemed as though Verena never had any time to spend training with Auruo anymore. The squad had also moved to the old Scouting Regiment home, which took some time to get used to.

All of this upset her slightly, seeing as how Auruo and her had grown quite close over the past month and a half. He was the only one who she could vent to aside from Jean, and quite honestly, she enjoyed his company. She had heard tell of a scouting expedition that was supposedly to take place in about a month, and she was determined to make sure that she went on it.

Today was a rather easy day, because Eren had been assigned to Hanji's care. That meant that Verena finally had some time off to spend with Auruo. But, whenever she looked for him, she couldn't find him anywhere. She whined to herself, but knew for a fact he was still around there somewhere, and decided to continue her searching.

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During all of Verena's constant searching, Auruo had found himself in deep conversation with both Gunther and Eld. The subject conversation was something about Eren, but suddenly, Eld took it a little bit further than just their current objective. "Hey, Auruo. You and Verena have been getting closer lately. Something you wanna tell us?"

This took the man aback slightly, and he scoffed. "Tch, what the hell do you mean? The brat and I are just friends. If even that. I have no idea what you're talking about." Eld cocked his eyebrow. "Auruo, come on. It's obvious you have a thing going for her. Hell, you two are sharing the same room." Auruo gave a slight scowl, trying to avoid paying attention to the light pink dusting his cheeks. "That's only because Levi Heichou ordered us to do that. I'm quite certain if he hadn't ordered us to sleep in the same room, she wouldn't want to sleep in the same room with me."

Gunther placed his cheek on his curled fist, and he rolled his eyes. "Auruo, why don't you stop being such a hardass and admit it? It will make things so much easier. Besides, you're always complaining about how you've never had a woman. There's a perfectly good one right in front of you, and you're just sitting there not doing anything about it."

Eld nodded. "Yeah. And it's not like you're going to ever get anywhere with Petra, so why not give Verena a shot? You never know when your time is gonna come around. Don't you want to at least experience it before then?" Auruo was silent for a while, and then he sighed deeply. "You're both assholes, you know that?" he muttered. Eld grinned. "So we were right! Auruo, come on. Just ask her out. You don't even have to be blatant about it."

"Eld's right. Just tell her you want to take a walk or something. There's plenty of scenery around here. Then just take it from there at your own pace," Gunther continued. Auruo ran his fingers through his hair, a low, heavy sigh leaving his lips. "Fine. I'll ask her out. You two idiots happy now?" he asked as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Not until you get your first kiss," both men replied at once. Auruo sneered. "Shut up about that. It's embarrassing…" he mumbled. He knew that someone his age should have had one by then, but he had never received one. He had never done anything with a woman, really. This earned much teasing from Eld and Gunther, whom constantly got onto him about it.

When Auruo walked outside, he rounded the corner only to feel something hit his chest with a soft '_poomf_.' He glanced down, seeing none other than Verena. "Verena? Are you alright?" he asked, concerned if she was hurt whenever she hit him. "N-no, I'm okay. Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you," she replied as she looked up at him. "Oh, I was just talking with Eld and Gunther. Anyway, aside from that… would you uh… would you like to go on a walk with me?" he asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

She blinked slowly, and then smiled. "You bet! It's been a while since we spent any time together anyway!" she replied as she grabbed his wrist and began to walk with him. He followed her, the two of them heading off into the woodlands that surrounded them.

It was silent between the duo for a while, and Auruo cleared his throat. "Well, um… how have you been since Eren arrived? I know we haven't gotten to train much." She sighed softly and looked over at him. "I've been fine. I've been training on my own, honestly. I'm getting better and better now that you've shown me how to do different things," she replied.

Auruo gave a slight nod, and the two of them suddenly walked out into an open area in the center of the woodlands. Verena grinned and walked a bit further before laying down on the soft grass. "Ah… this is perfect. Now I can relax," she breathed as she watched several clouds float by overhead. Auruo sat down beside her, and eventually even laid down as well. "In all honesty, watching the clouds makes me forget the world we live in, ya know? It reminds me that there's more out there, and that one day, I'll be able to see it."

This earned a slight smile from Auruo, and he nodded. "Yeah. I hope to see it one day too. It would be great." It was silent once more between the two of them, but after a while, Verena felt a slight warmth on her left hand that was laying between them. She knew what it was, and she didn't reject it at all. In fact, she very slightly curled her fingers around his palm, holding his hand gently. Auruo gulped nervously, doing his best to remain calm in a situation that was obviously foreign to him. He inwardly cursed himself for being so shy, but that was soon forgotten when he heard Verena say his name quietly.

"What is it, Verena?" he as he turned his head to look at her. She had a slight smile on her lips, and she continued to stare at the blue sky. "Do you think… we can see the world outside of the walls… together?" As she said this sentence, her fingers took a slightly harder grip on his hand. This took him entirely by surprise, and he felt his cheeks redden. "I-I… um…" He cursed himself again for stuttering. This wasn't like him at all.

"I know it's cliché… but… it feels right, you know…? So… perhaps this will spur your answer." She turned onto her side to face him, and very hesitantly pressed her lips against his own slightly chapped ones. His breath hitched in his throat, but he eventually made himself return the kiss to her. After a moment, she moved away and smiled slightly. "It hasn't been long, I know… but… it would make me very happy…"

Auruo stared at her, and then glanced away as he pursed his lips slightly. "Dammit, Freckles. It's supposed to be the man who asks the woman, not the other way around…" Verena blinked, and then grinned as she leapt onto him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He groaned quietly at the sudden weight on top of him, but placed his hand on her back to hold her close to him.

"**_We'll see the world one day, Verena. The whole world. That's a promise._**"


	7. Motivation

_**_Heya guys. Kind of a short chapter this time,so I hope you guys don't mind~! You know the drill! Let me know what you guys think and always remember I love each and every one of you~!_**_

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_The month that passed before Auruo and I got together was certainly interesting. But, that had an outcome that made me very happy. Even though we still didn't get to spend much time together, all that mattered was that I knew that he was mine, and that I was his. It truly was an amazing surprise._

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The morning after what had unfolded the day before, Verena awoke to a slight pressure around her midsection. She yawned, managing to reach her hand up and rub her eyes before looking to see what was holding on so tightly around her waist. It was a pair of arms, and two hands.

She blinked, and then realized that she and Auruo had slept in the same bed together. They hadn't done anything other than that, but it felt good to have his warmth again. That was the first time that they had slept in the same bed since the first day he was assigned as her caretaker. And, quite honestly, she missed the warmth that he had given her.

She placed her hands gently on top of his own, her thumbs stroking his skin slowly. This made him shift slightly, and he groaned. "Go back to sleep, Verena…" he muttered, burying his face in the back of her neck. She giggled quietly, and he pulled her closer against his body. "You should be used to waking up this early by now, Auruo. We've done it every day for the past month and a half," she replied as she glanced over her shoulder at the groggy man.

He sighed deeply, pressing his lips gently against the flesh of her neck. "Fine, fine. You win… I'll get up," he mumbled before slowly rising into a sitting position. He stretched out his back, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright, come on Verena. Let's get-" He stopped, seeing that his partner was already three fourths of the way clothed. "Well then, never mind," he continued as he grabbed his clothes and began to put them on. Verena laughed quietly, reaching behind her and putting her hair into her regular ponytail. "Well, we woke up a bit later than usual. I hope that we don't wake anyone else," she said as she walked outside with him.

Before Auruo could answer her, the two of them came face to face with a stern-looking Levi. "So, is there anything the two of you would like to tell me? That **everyone** else seems to know about?" he hissed. Both Verena and Auruo glanced over at each other. "Well, Heichou… yesterday, Verena and I became a couple, and-" "Shut up. That's all I needed to hear."

The raven-haired man sneered, his arms folded across his chest. "I hope you realize the dangers of having a mate in this current world, Auruo. And if you don't, your ass had better learn them quickly." With that, he walked past them and off in some other direction. Verena sighed quietly and reached over, very gently gripping Auruo's pinkie finger in her hand. "Come on… let's go…"

When Levi was certain he was far enough away from them, he glanced over his shoulder and sighed quietly. And for the first time in a very long time, a tiny hint of a minuscule smile dashed across his lips.

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After their usual morning training, the duo decided to take a small break away from everyone else. Apart from yesterday, this was the first real quality time they had spent together on their own. Now, when you're part of a division that has nothing to do but go on expeditions, there aren't a lot of choices to go out and do.

But, in both of their minds, just spending time together was enough for the two of them. Today the two had decided to just lay around and cuddle, and Verena was laying happily on her partner's chest. "Auruo, tell me something." The man glanced down at her, placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. "What is it?"

"Would you have rather me been assigned to someone else as my caretaker?" This question puzzled him slightly, but he shook his head. "Never. I wouldn't change what Heichou did. Granted, I thought you were going to be a pessimistic, sarcastic little brat like most of the others out there, but you proved me wrong. So, thank you for that, Verena."

She smiled softly and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "You're welcome. Though, there's not much to thank me for." After this, it was silent for a while, and then Verena sighed. "Auruo… this expedition that's coming up… I want you to promise me something, okay?"

"Sure. What is it?" She bit her lip slightly, and looked up at him. "Promise me that you won't be cocky. That you won't be arrogant. That you'll… that you'll stay alive." He frowned, and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. "Hey, don't talk like that. We'll be fine, okay? Nothing is going to happen. I know that you're scared and nervous, but you're amazingly talented in your skills. We have some of the best soldiers known to mankind. Including myself. I promise we'll be just fine."

Those words were like instant relief to her. She sighed softly, and placed a gentle kiss upon his lips. "Thank you. And remember, you promised that you would take me to see the entire outside world. If you died, I would never be able to forgive you."

This earned a slight chuckle from him, and he nodded in agreement. "I know, I know. And I'm planning on keeping that promise. So you just keep that pretty little chin of yours held high, alright?" He curled his index finger underneath her chin, lifting her head ever so slightly. She smiled at him, and then rose to her feet. "Come on. We have to head back. It's almost lunchtime and I'm starving!" she exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes and stood up, reaching over and interlacing his fingers with her own. "Alright, alright. How come I can never say no to you, huh?"

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That evening, Verena lay on Auruo's bed once again, her face buried against his chest. Every moment she spent with him, she was growing more and more comfortable to the fact that she was in a relationship with this man, and that she loved him tremendously. She yawned, and felt Auruo's fingers playing with a lock of her brown hair. "Go to sleep, Freckles. You need it."

She gave a slight nod, and in no time, she was out like a light against his chest. Auruo sighed quietly, the words she had spoken to him earlier than day making him worry. He didn't want to lose her, nor did he want to lose himself either. He looked out his window at the star-filled sky, a low sigh leaving his lips.

"**_I'll do whatever it takes to protect her. I'm not going to die tonight, or the next day, or many more days from now. As long as I have her by my side, I have all the motivation to keep going that I need._**"


	8. Family Reunion

_**_Hey guys~! Sorry for the lack of updating there! Fanfiction was being a derp. But, I just wanted to warm you guys now that the next chapter WILL contain a lemon. So please, if you don't like that kind of thing, be wary of the next chapter. But, aside from that, I hope you guys enjoy, and like always, tell me what you think and don't forget I love every one of you!_**_

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_Things went well for the two of us after that day. The weeks flew by, and soon, it was the day before the 57__th__ scouting expedition beyond the walls. Now… you have to realize that this part of our story is a bit embarrassing. So, please excuse me if I begin to get a bit embarrassed._

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The past week had been nothing but preparation for the upcoming expedition. Levi and his squad had been gathering supplies, readying the horses, and helping out in whatever ways they could manage to prepare. Commander Erwin Smith had overseen their work, and that was the first time Verena had ever set eyes on the blonde-haired commander.

It was now the last day before the entire Scouting Regiment set out on their quest to reclaim the land outside Wall Rose, and naturally, the squad set out to do what most soldiers usually did before they headed out on an expedition. They went to see their families and other loved ones.

Eld went to visit his fiancée, Gunther went off to visit his mother and elderly grandfather, Petra went home to her own father, and Oluo was about to head off to see his family as well.

As he mounted his horse, he glanced over his shoulder to see if Verena had taken off yet. When he saw that his brown-haired partner was still standing beside the stables, he tilted his head slightly and made his horse trot over to her side. "Hey, what's up? Aren't you going to visit your family?" Verena remained silent, her gaze dropping to the ground in front of her.

Oluo then realized what grave mistake he had just made. He had forgotten about her parents being killed during the fall of Wall Maria. "Verena… I'm sorry, please don't be upset." He dismounted his steed, making his way over in front of her. He noticed several tears falling from her chin, and he sighed deeply as he wrapped his arms around her. How could he have been so foolish as to ask her that? He should have remembered what she had been through.

"Hey, come on now." He curled his index finger underneath her chin, tilting her head up so he could gently kiss away her tears. "How about I take you to meet my family, hmm? I want you to meet them at least once…" She ran her sleeve across her eyes, and nodded slightly. "S-sure… I'd like to meet them…"

He helped her up onto his horse, and then mounted it in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her forehead on his back. She sighed deeply, not really wanting to think about not being able to visit her family. It was already hard enough for her to deal with the anniversary of their death every year.

After a while of deafening silence between the two, Oluo cleared his throat. "So, um… if you meet my parents, be prepared for a lot of hugs and stuff. My mother is very affectionate person. I also have six younger siblings, so be prepared to probably be attacked whenever I tell them who you are." This made Verena giggle quietly, and she nodded her head. "Alright. I'll be ready for that then."

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When the two of them finally arrived back into the central area of the wall, Oluo brought them to a small, well-kept looking house. "Well… we're here," he said as he leapt off his horse and tied his reins to a small post near the front of the house. He then helped Verena down, and fixed the cravat he wore around his neck.

Oluo opened the front door, only to be greeted by one happy-looking woman and several smaller children. "Oluo is back!" several of the little ones exclaimed, nearly making him topple over from their combined weight. "Yeah, yeah, I'm back… now get off of me…!" he replied as he tried to calm the excited children. "It's good to have you back home, my dear…" The woman with fluffy, dark hair smiled and wrapped her arms around him, which made the children finally step away from him. Verena watched from the door, a slight smile plastered upon her face.

"Mommy! There's some lady over by the door!" This caught the attention of the woman, and she turned only to see none other than Verena. "And you brought a girl with you! Thank God, you finally found someone!" she exclaimed as she hastily made her way over and gripped the girl in a tight embrace. "Welcome to you too, my dear!" Verena managed a slight gasp of a laugh, and then brushed down her clothes whenever the woman let go of her.

"Dear! Dear, come quickly! Oluo is home, and he brought a girl with him!" the little woman shouted frantically. It was obvious she was extremely excited with this entire situation. From the other room, an older looking man entered through the doorway, a slight smile on his lips. One look at him, and Verena immediately knew that was Oluo's father. It was blatantly clear where Oluo had gotten his looks from.

"Well, well, well. My God, you **did** manage to bring home a woman! And she certainly is a fine one too." He walked in front of Verena, beginning to examine her. "Hmm… strong, healthy, and damn good looking. How the hell did you manage to score yourself this woman, Oluo?" he teased as he ruffled his son's hair. "Hey! Would you guys just calm down? Yes, Verena is my partner… that's no reason to make it seem as though the world is ending, damn. But, it's nice to see you all again."

This earned large grins from both his mother and his father, and the little woman began making her way into the kitchen. "Dinner is ready, come on! I always have extra, so you're welcome to eat with us too, dear!" Verena smiled softly and looked over the family once again. She wondered what it would feel like to be able to come home and visit your family like this. That was something she never got the chance to experience.

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When the day was finally over and Verena had the chance to get acquainted with each and every one of Oluo's family members, the two of them headed back to the old Scouting Regiment base. "So? How did you like my family?" Verena leapt off his horse and into his arms, stabilizing herself on her feet. "I liked them! They were amazing. You mom was so sweet!"

He scoffed and scratched his cheek with his forefinger. "I suppose. And please excuse my father. He's always been like that," he muttered. She giggled and leaned up on her toes, placing a soft kiss on the bridge of his nose. "Calm down, Oluo. They're just excited," she replied as she began to put away his horse in his stall.

"Well, still. They can be very obnoxious," he replied as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall of the stall. She sighed softly and made sure his horse was fed and brushed, and then turned to face him. "Remember, at least you still have yours." He blinked, and then glanced away. "I'm sorry, Verena. I know I'm selfish…"

She shook her head, very gently grabbing his hands in her own. "Come on… it's getting late, and we have a big day tomorrow." He gave a slight nod, his grip on her hands tightening slightly. "Promise me that you won't leave my side, okay? I don't want anything happening to you." She gave him a small smile, gently brushing a few strands of his hair into their proper places. "I promise. We're in this together, remember?"

He gently laid his forehead against her own, and tilted his head just enough so he could place a kiss on her nose. "Of course we are. Now come on, we need to get some sleep."

**_With that, the two of them returned inside, both of them wondering about what the day ahead had in store for them._**


	9. All I've Ever Wanted

**_H-hey there guys...! S-so um... I'm a bit embarrassed about this chapter. It won't take long for you to find out why... b-but um... please excuse me if the lemon isn't THAT detailed...! I-I was too embarrassed to do more... a-as always,lemme know what you think, and I love you all...! A-and this does contain lemon, s-so please be warned..._**

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_I um… I can't talk about this with you. So I took the liberty of writing down what happened next. If I talked about what happened next… I would just start squeaking._

Verena awoke to darkness. Well, it wasn't complete darkness. Just the darkness of night that had enveloped their room while they slept. Once her eyes adjusted, she sighed deeply and turned around to her opposite side, only to come face to face with a wide awake Auruo.

"I can't sleep," Verena said quietly. "I can't either. Are you nervous, or you just can't seem to sleep?" he asked her as he moved a lock of stray hair behind her ear. "I just… both," she replied as she glanced down. "I'm so nervous about the expedition…" "I can understand that. Well, um… I'm right here, okay? And I'm not going anywhere." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.

She sighed softly, very gently nuzzling her head against him. "Thank you, Auruo…" It was quiet between them for a few moments, and then Verena gulped. "Um, Auruo… I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He glanced down at her, his eyebrow raising slightly. "What is it?" She felt her cheeks tint slightly and she tilted her head, softly placing a kiss on his chin, and slowly trailing them to his jawbone.

He felt his breath hitch in his throat, and he flushed slightly. "Oh… I see," he replied, his hands moving to her hips. She looked up at him, her blue eyes gazing into his own amber ones. "Y-yeah. I know it hasn't been long since we've been together, but I feel ready. I truly do love you, and I want to prove it."

He scoffed slightly, pulled her up onto his lap. "You've already proved that to me just by being you. Just by staying with me. And now, this is truly showing me that you love me even more, if that's possible." Verena gave him a small smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Then… can I give myself to you?" "Only if I can give myself to you…" They stared at each other for a moment, and then pressed their lips together.

Auruo's hands slowly trailed down her sides, making her untouched body tense slightly. She gave a soft breath of approval as he placed gentle kisses on her neck, and her body tingled with newfound pleasure. His hands then made their way up her body to slowly unbutton each button of her shirt, and he trailed his kisses down to the center of her chest. Verena gave another small breath of delight, and slowly ran her fingers through his hair.

She gave a soft smile and gently kissed his chest, her lips moving down his stomach to the lining of his pants. His body shuddered, and Verena giggled softly. "You like that little one? I'm glad you do..." she said softly as she unbuttoned his pants. She then slowly unzipped them, and slid them down his legs. He then did the same to her, and she blushed a bit. This was the first time she had ever let anyone see her like this. She was always so modest and shy, especially around men.

Auruo gulped and nodded as he slipped his hand behind her back to unlatch her bra, letting it fall to the floor below them. He softly kissed her breasts and massaged each one gently, making sure to not go overboard. Verena gave a small moan of satisfaction, and her cheeks burst into flames.

She felt his hand slide inside of her panties, and she moaned quietly as she felt him slowly begin massaging her clit. "A-ahn... A-Auruo... that feels nice... please keep doing that..." she groaned quietly. Auruo continued to work on her clit, and placed gentle kisses upon her breasts. She was then laid upon her back below him, and Auruo slid her panties off her legs. He then gripped her knees softly and opened her legs, placing his head between them.

He earned a low moan of pleasure from his lover as he slid his tongue slowly across her opening, and then softly nipped at her clit. He proceeded to slide his tongue around the hole leading inside of her body, and she gasped in pleasure. "E-easy Auruo..." she moaned softly. She then felt his tongue enter her opening, and she threw her head back in a loud moan of his name. "Your taste is so sweet, Verena... I could enjoy this taste any day..." Oluo said softly as he continued with his work.

She gave another low moan of satisfaction, and she ran her fingers through his hair. "A-Auruo... hold on a second..." she moaned as she sat up and pinned him gently against the bed on his back. She moved her hand down his abdomen, and softly gripped his length through his boxers. This earned a low groan from her soon-to-be lover, and she ran her thumb along it gently. She then took off his boxers and grabbed his length, slowly sliding her hand along his shaft.

"V-Verena..." she heard him groan through clenched teeth. She gave him a soft smile, and gently slid her tongue up the length of his shaft. She then licked the tip of his member, and proceeded to slide him in and out of her mouth slowly. He gave a soft groan of approval, and she felt his legs trembling just a bit.

She moaned quietly and grabbed his balls gently, massaging them both with her hand which earned a bit louder of a groan from him. "A-ah... Verena... I can't..." She blushed and moved back from him, and she felt his seed spurt onto her cheek and her nose. She giggled, and then softly stroked his throbbing member. "It's warm, ya know...?" She whispered quietly.

Auruo panted softly, and Verena noticed a dark red blush on his cheeks. "Y-you're blushing...? You never blush baby..." she breathed as she gently kissed his length. She then moved over him and straddled his waist. "It's because... because you make me happy, Verena..." Auruo said softly as he gently held her waist. He then sat up so her legs were now against his sides, and she blushed as she felt his member press against her opening.

"A-are you ready, darling...?" Auruo stammered as he looked at her. Verena felt her face turn bright red, and she smiled happily. "Y-yes dear, I am..." she replied quietly. Auruo nodded and slowly began easing himself inside of her, and she bit her lip. "N-ngh..." she whined as she felt his member break through her barrier, forever giving herself to him. A jolt of pain was sent up her spine, and she bit her lip.

Auruo stayed still, very gently kissing her neck and chest to soothe her. She laid her forehead against her own, her breath leaving her lips in soft pants. "A-alright… Auruo… you can move now…"

She felt him begin thrusting himself in and out of her slowly, and she gave soft breaths of pleasure with each thrust. "A-Auruo, I love you..." she panted as she laid her head against his shoulder. Auruo groaned quietly, and held her against his body. "I love you too, Verena..." he replied quietly. He kissed the crook of her neck, and continued to thrust himself in and out of her gently and slowly.

"_I love being with him like this... he's perfect… I wouldn't want this with anyone else…_" Verena thought as she called his name quietly. Auruo gave soft breaths of pleasure, and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "V-Verena, I..." she heard him groan quietly. Verena felt her end nearing as well, and she kissed his lips. "I-I am too..." she moaned as she kissed him again, wrapping and folding her tongue around his. She felt him force his entire member inside of her, and they both called each other's names in unison as they came together.

Auruo panted quietly and laid his head on her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I-I love you, Verena…" Verena sighed softly, and then gave a content smile. "I have everything that I always wanted or needed..." This made Auruo look at her, and she gently grabbed his cheeks in her hands. Several tears of happiness fell from her eyes, and she smiled.

"**_I have you… and that's more than I could have ever asked or hoped for…_**"


	10. Twisting Fate

_**_Hey guys! I am SO sorry about the delay with my update. Life has been really busy lately, and quite honestly I had a LOT of trouble writing this chapter. Mostly because I had to figure out how the heck I was going to pull it off. But, I finally figured it out and stuff, so please wait until the next chapter. EVERYTHING will be explained there. As always, tell me what you guys think and remember I love you all!_**_

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_The next morning was the day that was, unbeknownst to all of us, the beginning of some drastically life-changing events. Now that I think back on it, I'm glad that Auruo and I proved our love to each other that night. If it had been any other time after that… well… you'll see why I'm glad it happened that night. _

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When morning finally came around, Verena awoke to find that her lover was surprisingly awake before she was. She felt him place a soft kiss on her nose, and her lips curled into a smile. "Good morning, my dear…" She giggled and moved some a few of his bangs out of his face. "Good morning…"

Before either of them could say anything else, they heard the bell inside of the bell-tower begin to sound. Verena sighed quietly, and she slowly rose to her feet. She cringed when a slight pain erupted in her lower body, and she gave a quiet whine. "Are you going to be alright, Verena?" Auruo asked as he walked over beside her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Y-yeah… I'll be fine. I just have to stretch myself out as the day goes on." She grabbed her clothes and began to dress herself in her uniform, shooting Auruo a glance over her shoulder. "Auruo… thank you. For doing what you did…" This made his cheeks tint a very slight red, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't thank me, but, just so you're aware, I'd gladly do it again." Verena immediately flushed red and covered her face with her hands. "D-don't talk like that…!"

This earned a quiet chuckle from the man, and the both of them got dressed. Verena threw her dark green cloak over her shoulders, fixing it so it fit around her body correctly. She reached over and grabbed Auruo's hand, promptly striding out of their room to meet the rest of their squad.

About an hour passed, and the entire scouting fleet now stood ready on horseback at the gate leading out of Wall Rose. Verena had been assigned to accompany Levi's squad throughout the expedition, and Levi specifically placed her at the back, right of the formation. Granted, she wished she could be beside Auruo, but being close to him was good enough.

Like she had done when she was a child, the entire population of the wall crowded around them, muttering both positive and negative things about the soldiers who stood in their view. Most of the attention was on Corporal Levi, Commander Erwin, and the Titan-shifter, Eren Jeager. Verena had just found out not thirty minutes ago that Levi's squad had been assigned to protecting Eren, much due to the fact that she was not allowed any information since she wasn't a "legitimate" member of his squad.

She heard several people mutter about how this was a waste of both time and human life, and several others actually take the Regiments side in the matter. Though, when it came right down to it, the number of people doubting the Regiment greatly outnumbered those who had faith in them. That only made her more determined to prove those who doubted them wrong.

She saw Auruo glance at her over his shoulder, and she gave him a slight nod of her head along with a reassuring smile. This eased his discomfort and anxiety slightly, and everyone silenced themselves when they saw Commander Erwin raise his hand into the air. "Open the gate!" Verena felt her heart race in her chest, and she gulped. "_This is it. This is the moment I've worked my ass off for. I've worked harder than almost anyone, and I'm going to show that I __**can**__ be a hero_!"

"We will now begin the 57th expedition beyond the walls! Onward!" With the exclamation and command from Erwin, all the soldiers charged out into the world beyond. For Verena, a lot of this seemed so familiar. This used to be her home. All this land, all of the grass and trees and sky, used to belong to her and her family.

As time went on, the troops broke away into their designated areas of the formation that Erwin had designed that would supposedly keep Titan encounters to a minimal. She glanced over at Eren, who, over the past weeks, had earned the trust of his squadmates. He seemed so determined to finally reach **some** sort of goal, and the look on his face made it all the more clear just how much he wanted it.

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The next thing that Verena knew, she was lying on the cold, slightly damp grass. A slight breeze blew across her skin, sending shivers down her spine. She groaned, slowly rising to her feet and attempting to keep her balance. Her head throbbed, and she had absolutely no idea what was going on. When she finally managed to get a grip on reality, she realized that she was in the middle of a large forest.

Before she had time to even think about what was going on or what had happened to her, she heard a loud, ear-piercing cry of… something that nearly split her head open from the volume of it. She quickly pressed her palms against her ears, a small whine leaving her throat as she tried to block out the horrendous sound. After a few more moments, the noise finally ceased and the forest returned to its eerie silence.

"What the hell was that?" Verena whispered to herself as she glanced around. Then she remembered what had happened to her. When Levi and his squad were heading away from the "Female Titan" as they called it, she was thrown from her horse. "_This must have been where I landed…_" she thought as she glanced down at the ground. She blinked, seeing several tiny pebbles bouncing around her feet.

She looked behind her, only to see a whole horde of Titans making her way towards her. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed as she immediately shot her grapples into a nearby tree, hastily making her way to the highest branch possible. She gripped the trunk of the tree for support so she didn't fall, and watched as Titan after Titan ran off in the direction of whatever thing had made that horrendous noise a few moments ago.

When the wave finally ceased, she slowly and cautiously let go of the trunk. "Wait a minute… where did Heichou go?" she muttered as she tried to spot the road that led through the trees. "No, no. I need to go find Eren," she continued as she leapt from the branch and sped on through the dark forest. Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and when she glanced over, she saw a small figure in the distance a ways ahead of her.

"Is that Heichou?" She squinted her eyes, and her breath hitched in her throat. "No… Levi Heichou isn't that tall. Who the hell is that?" She watched as whoever it was sped off quickly through the trees, and she blinked. "Wait… what if that's… no!" She continued to lead herself through the trees, and tried her best to keep up with the figure in front of her. She then stopped and landed on one of the tree branches she was overtop of. "_If… if that is who I think it is… they haven't spared any mercy with the other soldiers. Which means that if they come across my squad…_" She glanced down, seeing several bodies of soldiers that had received the wrath of the Female Titan.

She stared at them for a few moments, and then sighed deeply. "I wonder if they would have been okay with me using them for a bit…"

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"H-how…? It can't possibly see! It hasn't even been thirty seconds... only one eye? It prioritized one eye to accelerate the healing… is that even possible?" "Petra, we need to regroup!"

"**_Petra!_**"

A large splatter of crimson now covered the tree where Petra once was, and her only remaining teammate stared in disbelief. This did not deter him for long though. He had a clear shot to the nape of the Female's neck, and he wasn't about to pass it up. "Oi…"

"**_Die._**"

A sharp clang of metal rang throughout the area, but the Female remained unhurt. "How? My blade can't pierce it…" He was already braced for his imminent fate, but he felt nothing. Nothing, that is, until he landed on the hard ground. He coughed as he slowly rose to his knees, only to come face-to-face with Petra; still alive and kicking.

"Petra…? How…? I don't understand…" He saw that she was shaking, and she could barely form her words. Her hand slowly moved up and pointed behind him, and he turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw none other than his brown-haired lover, her hair matted and a line of crimson running down her face. "Verena!" She slowly hobbled over beside them and fell to her knees, then her back.

Upon a first glance, she seemed entirely fine. But when Petra looked closer at her, she noticed a dark red stain growing ever larger on Verena's side. Without any further hesitation, she quickly lifted Verena's shirt and saw a thick piece of what looked like wood pierced through her side. "S-shit… Verena…" Auruo stammered. "Auruo, we have to get this out of her." "Petra, that's insane. We take that thing out of her, and she'll bleed to death."

"She's already bleeding to death, dammit! Now just listen to me, and do it!" Auruo looked at the hazelnut-haired woman in front of him, and then down at his partner. "Verena… please forgive me." He gripped the abnormality and quickly pulled it from her body, and Petra placed her hand over Verena's mouth to muffle her pained cries. Without even thinking about it, Auruo tore off a long strip of his shirt, and gave it to Petra to place over the wound.

Even with the new covering, the wound still continued to bleed profusely. "Shit… Petra, we have to get her out of here. This damn mission is a failure, and-" Before he could finish, a bright flash of light enveloped the area and grabbed his attention. "No… dammit, Eren!" Petra rose to her feet and tugged on Auruo's jacket. "Come on! We can't stick around anymore. Especially with Eren transformed. We have to worry about getting Verena back to Commander Erwin."

Verena felt herself be lifted up, and she felt the familiar warmth of Auruo's chest. But, for whatever reason, the warmth seemed to be less than what it normally was. Come to think of it, she couldn't feel anything around her. "Verena, don't you give up on me now, dammit. You've come too far to give up now." But, why wouldn't he let her? She just wanted to sleep now… she felt so tired…

**_She managed to move her head against Auruo's chest, and a very weak, faint smile crept across her lips as she slowly drifted off into blurred darkness._**


	11. Returning Heroes

_**_Because you guys deserved 2 chapters for my long break~ Anyway, this is what happened to end up saving Petra and Auruo's life. It's kind of... a longshot, I know, but you have to realize I have a very creative and strategic mind, so this COULD work upon some levels. As always, tell me what you think, and remember I love you all~!_**_

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_To be honest, I was really upset. And in pain. Trust me, those two things are not a good combination. I mean, I just lost two close friends I had made over the past few months. And, I blamed myself for it._

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A quiet call of her name. That was all she had heard for about five minutes. Or was it ten? She couldn't tell. A very faint light entered her vision, and she realized that someone was looking at her through that light. She very slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the worried face of Auruo.

"Verena! Thank God you woke up! I thought…" He stopped and sighed deeply, very slowly rubbing the back of his neck. "I knew you would make it. You're too strong to just give up and die." Verena blinked slowly, and realized that the surroundings were moving. "Hey… where are we…? What's going on?" she asked as she tried to sit up. She hissed in pain and Auruo gently pushed her back down.

"Don't move, alright? Just lay there. Everyone is headed back to the walls." She felt something cold be placed on her forehead, and she turned her head slightly to see Petra. "What about Eren…? Is he alright?" "Yes. Levi got him back safely." "A-and the Female…?"

"She's taken care of, for now." The sudden, deep voice caught Verena off guard, and she looked to the opposite side to see her Captain sitting beside her. "Heichou…" He looked down at her, his steely eyes seeming to peer right into her soul. "How did you do it?" This question took her aback, and she tilted her head. "What do you-" "Tell me how you saved them. From what Auruo told me, it was virtually impossible."

Verena sighed deeply, and stared up at the clouded sky overhead. "Heichou… when you work as hard as I do, and when you study as hard as I do, you learn things. You learn how to anticipate attacks and movements and strategies long before they even happen. The Female was obviously after Eren; that was a given. She had shown no mercy with the other soldiers she slaughtered, so it was clear she wouldn't care about ours either. Now, knowing this, along with the fact our squad was assigned to protect Eren, I knew that they would try to confront the Female to let Eren get away. This is when I thought ahead and brought the bodies of two soldiers I found with me."

Petra blinked at her explanation. "But, Verena, the 3DMG can only support so much weight…" "I know. But the soldiers were smaller, so they weighed less. I evenly distributed the weight, and when I came across our squad, I "body-switched" as I like to call it. I simply grabbed Petra out of the way, replacing her body with the already deceased soldier. When Auruo tried to kill the Female and failed, I did the same to him."

To Levi, this entire explanation sounded insane, and completely ridiculous, but he accepted it anyway. "Verena, you have my thanks." She looked over at the raven-haired man, and she sighed quietly. "Why are you thanking me? I only saved-" "Don't you dare say the word "only." Levi glared at her and took a slightly rough grip on her jaw, forcing her to look at him. "You saved two of my squadmates, Verena Engel. That's more than one normal soldier could do in a goddamn lifetime, especially against the Female bitch. So don't you dare start going on about how you "only."

Verena sniffed, a few tears welling up in her eyes. She felt so guilty about not being able to save Gunther and Eld, but she felt happy she managed to save Petra and her lover. But, at the same time, she felt horrible for feeling happy at a time like this. She was so confused. "Heichou, scolding her isn't going to help her right now. Please…" Levi glanced over at Petra, who had Eld and Gunther's arm patches gripped tightly in her hand.

He sighed deeply and let go of Verena's jaw, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "You're right. Forgive me, Verena. But, now things are going to be much different around here…" Verena whined quietly as she very slowly brought herself into a sitting position with the help of Auruo. "Heichou… if you would… may I be the one who tell their families? I don't want you to have that burden on your shoulders…" Levi didn't answer for a moment, and then shook his head. "No. You may come with me, but ultimately I need to be the one who tells them. Now do you realize why I was so against you two having a relationship?" he asked as he glanced over at Auruo.

Auruo sighed and very softly grabbed Verena's hand in his own. "I think we both know the risks very well, Captain. And, we're willing to take them." This earned a small smile from Verena, and Petra sighed softly. "Auruo, you've become less arrogant with her around, you know that? That's a good change for you…"

He scoffed quietly and tightened his grip on Verena's hand. "Love does things to people, you know…?" Petra gave a slight smile, her gaze darting for only a slight moment to Levi.

"I know…"

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When the Regiment returned into the city, they were met with hate-filled comments and a sea of never-ending questions. When everything was over and dealt with, Levi and what remained of his squad returned to their cabins in the city. "Verena, let me help you, please." Without giving her a chance to answer, Auruo picked up his lover and held her against his chest, slowly carrying her through the halls and into their room.

After he had laid her down, he watched as her eyes almost immediately filled to the brim with tears. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? Verena…" She shook her head and couldn't even bring herself to wipe away her tears. "Eld and Gunther were my friends… I trained my ass off for so damn long and I can't even save them…" Auruo sighed quietly and leaned over her, his lips gently kissing away her tears.

"Verena, you have to realize that… in this world, there will always be death. As long as those damn Titans exist, hell, even as long as humans exist, there will _always_ be death. But, you have to think about what those two would have wanted. Would they have wanted you to dwell on their deaths, or would they want you to be happy that not only you're alive, but that you still have Petra and I with you?"

She sniffed, and managed to bring herself into a sitting position, her hand placed over her wound. "Auruo… thank you for always knowing what to say…" she replied quietly. He gave another quiet sigh, his thumb running gently over her hand.

"**_In the words of our Captain, you made the choice that you would regret the least._**"


	12. Bonding

_**_Woo~! Getting back into the swing of things! This chapter isn't really that exciting, just a little more bonding time between Verena and Auruo~ As always, I love you all, and don't forget to tell me what you think~! Oh yeah. I'm also warning you now that the storyline will be altered from the original path Isayama wrote starting from this chapter on~_**_

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_To be entirely honest, I don't want to go over what happened over the course of the next few weeks. In short, the Female Titan attacked Trost, she was defeated, and things were __**finally**__ 'normal' again. Aside from the fact I had __**another**__ damn scar…_

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"How are you feeling, Verena?"

She had heard this question from the same people almost every day for the past two weeks. Once was in the morning from her lover, another was around midday from Petra, and the final one was from Levi whenever the day had finally ended. She wasn't used to so much questioning, and she often wondered to herself why they were checking up on her so much.

She sat in her room, making sure that the last bit of her wound had finally healed itself. Hanji had told her that it needed daily care, which Petra had provided for her. When Verena really stopped and thought about it, it seemed as though Petra had become a lot kinder to her than she was whenever she originally arrived into the squad.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that Verena had saved her life? Perhaps it was just a sudden change of heart? She didn't know the reason, but she was just happy that her and Petra saw eye-to-eye now. She slid her forefinger across her new scar, a soft sigh leaving her lips. She wondered if it would deter Auruo away from her this time. It was such an ugly and horrendous thing.

They hadn't done anything intimate since they had returned from their failed expedition, mostly due to the fact that she had a gaping wound on her side for the past two weeks, and she really wished they would. She missed being together with him like that. She fell onto her back, her finger now making small circles on the sheets beside her as she stared at the ceiling.

"Verena?" She immediately recognized the deep voice as her commanding officer's, and she lifted her head slightly so she could look at him. "Yes, Corporal?" She watched as he made his way over beside her, and sat down on her bed. "Are you alright?" She blinked and sighed loudly. "Corporal, please tell me why the hell everyone is asking me that! Auruo is asking me, Petra is asking me, and you're asking me. Why are you guys asking me so much?"

Levi sighed deeply and stared at the wall in front of him. "Because we don't want you to end up like me. I've lost so many people in my life that I'm past the point of return. You lost not only your parents, but two of your close friends. Plus, you blamed yourself. So, we simply want to make sure that you're not falling into a depression."

Verena sat up and pressed her lips into a thin line. "I see. Well, I just want you all to know that I'm alright. Gunther and Eld wouldn't want me dwelling on what's happened to them. Just like they wouldn't want Petra, or Auruo, or even you to dwell on their deaths."

"Verena, you know how I say that you should always pick the choice you will regret the least?" "Yes, Sir. Why?" He sighed quietly, and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Every decision I've made in my life, I've regretted. All except one. You." This caught her entirely off guard, and she watched as Levi rose to his feet. "You changed Auruo into a better man, you saved two of my squadmates, and hell, you even brought some kind of happiness back to this squad. So, Verena, thank you." With this, he walked out of the room, and shut the door behind him.

Verena sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her hair. So much had happened in such a short amount of time… and she really just needed a break. She rose to her feet and walked to the door, opening it only to run face-first into someone's chest. "Verena, you really need to stop running into people…" She looked up and felt a pair of lips touch her own, and she smiled against them.

"Auruo…" His name left her lips in a soft purr, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She never tired of his warmth, and right now it was what she needed the most. He picked her up and carried her into their room, placing her down on the bed before laying beside her. "You know, I'm glad that I saved you, Auruo… I wouldn't have known what to do without you. Though… I did get this ugly ass scar…" she muttered as she raised her shirt slightly.

Auruo glanced down, and then moved his body over her own. "Verena, you should know that nothing that happens to your body will ever make me think differently of you. No scars could ever turn me away from the woman I love," he replied, his fingertips gently brushing over her new abnormality.

This made her shiver slightly, and a soft sigh left her lips. "Auruo… I've missed being together like this… we've hardly spent any time together since the expedition…" He curled his index finger under her chin, tilting her head upwards and placing soft kisses along her jawline. "Then let's spend some… time together, Verena…"

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Verena awoke a while later to find that her bed was empty. She blinked, and slowly put on her clothes. She whined as she stretched out her back, and noticed that it was already dusk outside. "Damn… I slept that long? Auruo really tires me out…" she muttered to herself, a slight redness creeping along her cheeks. She yawned as she rose to her feet, and she made her way over to her door and down the hallway. She still wasn't used to how quiet it was around the cabins now. Gunther and Eld were usually always messing around with each other, no matter what the time of day was.

She rounded a corner, and felt someone grab her hand. "Come on, Verena…" She blinked as she felt herself being dragged outside, and realized that it was none other than Auruo who was leading her, well, wherever he was taking her. She followed him through the city, and out onto the grounds where they used to train. By this time, the sun had fully set, and darkness covered the land.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the grass, laying her head on his chest. "We needed to get away from it all. And honestly, this is the only place where there is nothing in the way. No buildings, no lights, just us." She felt her heart flutter at his words, and she gently nuzzled herself against his chest.

They stayed quiet for a while, and then Verena felt a kiss be placed upon the top of her head. "I'm glad that I was chosen as your caretaker. You've made me happy in this world full of death, my angel." She flushed dark red at his words; since when was he so… poetic? She yawned quietly, the need to sleep overtaking her body once again. Auruo's hand ran over her back soothingly, only encouraging her sleep even more. "Go to sleep, my dear. I'll watch over you. You've saved me too many times; now let me watch over you for once."

She smiled softly, her fingers curling to take a gentle grip on his shirt. "Thank you, Auruo…" He waited for a while until she finally fell asleep, and then he sighed to himself.

"**_Just wait a little longer, Verena… I should have asked you tonight, but… once again, I was too afraid._**"


	13. Questions

_**_Hi again~! Hmm... please don't start flaming me for changing the story... I promise it's nothing major. Okay, well, yeah. It kinda is, but who knows! That's the whole point, right? As always, remember I love you guys, and let me know what you think~_**_

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_The next few months were quiet, really. Nothing really happened, aside from the fact Erwin lead another expedition. Levi literally ordered Petra, Auruo, and myself to stay behind though. I can understand why, but I still wished I could have helped._

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"I wonder when Heichou will be back from the expedition…" Petra mumbled as she walked around, picking up stray items and placing them in their proper places. "You're really concerned about him, aren't you?" Verena asked, shooting the hazelnut-haired girl a slight grin as she glanced over at her.

A slight redness covered her cheeks, and she pursed her lip. "He's my captain, after all. I have to be concerned. He's always been there for us…" Verena giggled and walked beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know that look. You like him, don't you?" This only made her cheeks redder, and she placed her hands over her face.

"N-no…! I don't…!" she squeaked. Verena grinned and laughed. "Come on now. Take it from me, I think you've been around Levi long enough you could at least **_hint_** it to him." Petra sighed quietly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well… I mean, I highly doubt he would want someone like me." Verena cocked her eyebrow, an unamused look crossing her features. "Petra, how will you ever have any kind of chance if you never say or hint anything? Auruo was like that with me, you know. He was too scared to say anything to me, so I ended up making the first move," she replied with a small giggle.

Petra blinked and tilted her head. "Really? I thought Auruo would have been the one to do something. Knowing him, I would have thought it would have been perverted." Verena smiled a bit and shook her head. "No… but I'm glad we got together. So… take a chance, Petra. Wait for him to come back, and then take a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll find that it was worth taking."

This earned a small smile from her, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Verena gave a nod, and then turned on her heel. "Well, I have to go do something. I'll be back later, alright?" Petra smiled at her and moved a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Don't get too rowdy, now," she teased. Verena's face flushed dark red, and she pouted slightly. "I-I won't…" she muttered before heading outside.

She padded around the building to where the horses were kept, and found Auruo sitting down against the wall. "Hey, hun. Are you alright?" she asked as she took her place beside him. This knocked Auruo out of his trance, and he looked over at her. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Verena. I'm just thinking about something," he replied as his gaze moved up to stare into the blue sky.

"Hmm… I see. Well, is it something that's bothering you? I mean, you can always talk to me," she replied as she interlaced her fingers with his own. "No, no. It's… not 'bothering' me, per say. I mean, it is, but it's not the bad kind of bothering. If that makes any sense." She giggled, and laid her head on his shoulder. "I understand… well, I'm here if you need me. I'm always here…"

He gave her a slight smile, and then nodded as he rose to his feet. "Well… I have to go do something." With this, he walked off and vanished from her sight. She looked down and sighed deeply. "_He's been avoiding me so much lately… we hardly spend any time together anymore. Is there something he isn't telling me…?_" she thought as she drew small lines in the dirt with her forefinger.

"Verena!" Verena turned her head at the loud exclamation of her name, and she quickly rose to her feet. "Petra?" she asked as the young woman hastily ran in front of her. "It's Auruo! Come on!"

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Verena followed her squadmate, her mind going in ten million different directions. What had happened to Auruo? He had been gone for all of five minutes! The two females rounded a corner into the training field, and Verena blinked as she saw her caretaker and lover lying on the ground under one of the trees.

"Auruo!" she exclaimed as she slid on her knees beside him, quickly placing her hands on his chest. "Auruo, come on. Stop playing around, dammit…" she breathed as she placed her ear on his chest. He had a heartbeat, and he was breathing, so what the hell was going on? She heard what sounded like a very faint whisper, and she immediately cupped his cheeks. "Auruo…?"

She heard it again, but it was still hard for her to understand what he was saying. She leaned down close to him, and placed her ear right above his mouth. What she heard made her breath his in her throat, and made her heart stop beating for a moment.

"**_Will you… marry me_**?"

She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him weakly. "You idiot…! You nearly gave me a heart attack to ask me that…?! Of course I will, you asshole…!" she exclaimed. He rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his lips. "S-sorry… I just… I'm not a good romantic, and-" He was stopped as he felt the familiar sensation of Verena's lips pressing against his own, and he sighed softly as he leaned into it.

"S-shut up… don't you ever do that again, you hear me…?" she sniffed as she ran her sleeve across her face. "I understand, Verena…" he replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver ring. He moved it onto her left ring finger, and then interlaced his fingers with her own.

"**_Even in this hellish world, you've given me something that few find, and even fewer manage to hold on to. You've given me your heart… and that's all I'll ever need._**"


	14. Invitations and More

_**_Decided to end this one a bit differently. Not much, other than it's not Auruo or Verena saying the ending line like usual! But, I'm deciding what I'm gonna do from here on, so bear with me, guys~! Remember to tell me what you think, and that I love you all!_**_

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_Auruo and I waited for Commander Erwin and Levi to return from their expedition before we said anything to anyone about our engagement. While they were gone, we planned out exactly how we wanted it to happen, and who all we wanted to be there…_

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"Well, Petra will be there of course! And Eren, and Commander Erwin…" Verena dipped her quill into her ink again, writing down the names as they went along. "What about that friend of yours? Jean, I think his name was?" Verena smiled at Jean's name, and nodded vigorously as she wrote his name down. "Of course! He's my best friend!"

Auruo watched as she wrote down several more names, and he placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Verena, I know that I don't express how much I care for you very often, and I wanted to apologize for that. I really do love you, you know…" She looked at him over her shoulder, and leaned back in her chair. "Auruo, I know you do. I don't need you to express it verbally if you don't feel comfortable with it. Remember, this is new to both of us…" she replied as she leaned up and pressed her lips gently against his cheek.

This earned a slight smile from him, and ruffled her hair. "You're still a little brat, you know?" She pouted and rose to her feet. "And you're still an arrogant bastard," she countered. She then smiled a bit and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "But, you know, I wouldn't have you any other way," she continued before placing a light kiss on his lips.

"Hmph… don't you have names to be writing down?" he mumbled against her lips, his hands pulling her lower body to press against his own. "Names can wait, don't you think?" she breathed, her lips pressing gently against his jawline. The two of them immediately stopped when they heard the bell inside the tower sound, and Verena looked out the small window of their room. "They're back…?" she muttered, her hands moving into Auruo's own.

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When Levi and Commander Erwin arrived back at the base, Petra, Auruo, and Verena were naturally the first ones to greet them. After explaining what had happened, and hearing the good news that a small outpost got set up inside Wall Maria, everyone went inside to just cool off a bit. Even if it was only a small outpost, it was the beginnings of stepping forward to beat the Titans.

Petra tended to what few wounds Levi had received during the expedition, and Verena tended to Erwin's, much to Auruo's jealous disapproval. As Verena bandaged up Erwin's left arm to cover a rather deep cut he wore, she noticed Petra glance over at her with a slight smile on her face. She felt her heart jump, and she smiled slightly. "Oh yes… Commander, Levi, I have something to tell the two of you."

Levi cocked his eyebrow, and glanced over at the brown-haired girl. "Oh? And what would that be?" She pinned the end of Erwin's bandage together, and then rose to her feet. She padded beside her lover, and grabbed his hand tightly. "Well, while you two were gone… I got asked a very, very important question. And, well… Auruo asked me to marry him!"

This made Levi's eyes widen slightly, and his eyebrow raised further. "Well, well, well. How long were we gone, Erwin?" he asked as he glanced over at him. "I didn't know Auruo could get a woman like her to marry him." Auruo scowled, a red tint covering his cheeks. Verena giggled, and gripped his hand tighter. "Well, we were wondering if you two would like to come. It's not going to be a formal thing, just… a little ceremony with only our closest friends and comrades…"

Erwin tilted his head slightly, a very faint smile on his lips. "Sure. I believe Levi and I would love to attend. It's been a very long time since something so positive has happened." Levi scoffed and crossed his arms. "Don't make decisions for me, you bastard. But… I suppose I can come…"

This made Verena smile happily. "Thank you, Commander. And thank you too, Heichou. It really does mean a lot to me that you're attending. Now that you two know, I have to go tell everyone else!" she exclaimed before heading hastily out the door. Erwin chuckled quietly and laid his cheek on his fist. "Such a cheerful girl. You're lucky to have found someone like her, Mr. Bossard. People like her are very hard to find anymore."

Auruo gave a slight nod, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah. It's amazing that a girl like her would actually come to like such an arrogant bastard like myself. I owe her much, much more than my life… and I'm willing to give her everything I have."

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After a while, Verena finally made it back to the base. She whined as she opened the door, a tired look on her face. "A-alright. I told everyone… now can I rest…?" she muttered before sitting down on one of the chairs in the meeting room. She heard a quiet chuckle from beside her, and Auruo pulled up a chair to her side. He grabbed her and sat her down on his lap, his hands locked firmly around her waist.

This made her blush bright red. Auruo had never really expressed their relationship out in public aside from the occasional holding of hands, or a kiss on the cheek or lips. He softly kissed the shell of her ear, and she felt a shiver fly down her spine. "Hey now, no sex in here, damn…" Levi muttered as he took his seat on the opposite side of the table. "Learn to control yourselves."

Auruo scoffed and gave a quick kiss to her neck just to irk Levi. He rolled his eyes and took a quick sip of the tea he held in his cup. "Well, just so you're aware, just because you're going to get married doesn't mean you're going to get special treatment from me." Verena giggled quietly and placed her hands on top of Auruo's. "I wouldn't expect it, Heichou. I wouldn't want you to, either."

She smiled a bit and felt Auruo place another soft kiss on her neck. "Auruo and I don't need special treatment from you. All we want is for you to come home alive. And all we want is to make it home right beside you. So… we'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Because… well… some people have more things to protect than others…" Her gaze moved to the floor, and her smile softened slightly.

Levi gave her a slightly puzzled look, and he cocked his eyebrow. "What does that mean, Verena?" She looked up at him and grinned. "Nothing! I meant exactly what I said!" she replied as she turned her head and kissed Auruo's cheek. She then felt Auruo grab her and pick her up, holding her against his chest. "We're retiring for the night, Heichou."

Levi watched them walk out of the room, and he furrowed his brows. "Petra… do you think she's hiding something?" The young woman looked over at him, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. But she has seemed a bit happier than usual. Maybe because of her being a bride-to-be? Or do you think it's something else?" Levi sighed deeply and took another drink of his tea. "I think it's something else. But, I won't make any assumptions. If it's meant to be, she'll tell us eventually." Petra then bit her lower lip, and she turned to look at him, a slight redness on her cheeks.

"**_Levi Heichou, there's something that I need to tell you as well._**"


	15. News

_**_Yay~! Updating late again. But I have an excuse this time! We were hit by huge storms that knocked out our power... heehee. So yeah! Anyway, BIG NEWS in this chapter! Yup, yup! And yeah, a week after getting home from an expedition only to go on another one? I think it's time they find a new job. As always, know that I love all of you, and lemme know what you think~!_**_

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_A week passed by, and something extremely unexpected happened. Auruo was being forced, alongside Petra, to go on yet another expedition. This made me so goddamn mad it wasn't even slightly funny. _

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"Verena, I'm sorry. But Erwin is my superior, and these orders are directly from the King. We can't just cancel the expedition or leave Petra and Auruo here. Trust me, I don't want them going just as much as you do." Levi leaned his shoulder against the wall, the glare coming from the obviously angered woman in front of him enough to make even _him_ slightly nervous.

"Look, I can't just let Auruo go off on another goddamn expedition. After what happened last time? This is ridiculous!" Verena exclaimed, her fingers running through her slightly matted hair. "I swear to God I just want to-" "Verena." She stopped, shooting the raven-haired man another cold glance. "What?" she hissed.

"I know why you're so upset. This mood is extremely unnatural for you." Verena felt her breath hitch in her throat, and she immediately glanced to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered. Levi tsked, and made his way in front of her. "Oh really? Then tell me something. The other night when you made that comment about some people having more to protect than others?"

Verena sighed deeply and looked down. "A-at least you caught it… but how did you know for sure…?" Levi scoffed. "Shitty Glasses may be nuts, but she tells me a lot of things." Verena blinked and whined. "Dammit! She wasn't supposed to tell anyone!"

"That's why you're not going on this expedition, Verena. I cannot allow you to come with us in your current state." She looked down, her fingers playing with the hair hanging over her shoulder. "I know you're worried about Auruo. Don't worry yourself, Verena. I won't leave his side, this time. His, or Petra's." Verena gave a slight nod, and looked up at him.

"May I ask how many?" She smiled a bit, and nodded once again. "Two and a half…" This earned the faintest of what seemed to be a smile from Levi, but it quickly returned to its normal solemn look. "Alright. I would highly suggest that you tell Auruo before we leave. We leave in two hours. I'll make sure he writes you a letter every day, alright?" Verena smiled slightly, and nodded. "Alright."

He turned around to leave, and glanced at her over his shoulder. "Verena, will you be alright by yourself? Eren and the others are coming as well. You'll be the only one here for a few months. We're going all the way to Jaeger's basement, and there's no turning back." She gave a reassuring smile, and twiddled her fingers. "Yes, Heichou. I'll be just fine…"

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Auruo finished suiting up his horse for the expedition, and he sighed deeply. "Sweetie…?" He smiled at the voice he knew all too well, and he turned to see his bride-to-be making her way towards him. "Verena, thank God. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you before I left," he replied as he walked to meet her halfway.

She smiled slightly, and felt her heart pounding in her chest. "I um… I have something to tell you." He tilted his head, his bangs hanging in front of his face. "What is it?" She gently bit her lower lip, and grabbed his right hand in both of her own. "Well… the reason I can't go on this expedition… is… well…" She didn't want to say it blatantly, but she didn't know how to say it otherwise.

She sighed deeply, and gripped his hand tighter. "I tried to hint it to you last week… but I guess you didn't get it. Well… I'm…" She very slowly moved his hand down, until it came to rest on her lower abdomen. It took him a moment to realize what she meant, and his heart nearly stopped. "Verena… you're pregnant…?"

She bit her lip harder, and looked down to avoid his gaze. "Y-yes… I'm two and a half months…" she replied, her voice lowering. He was silent for a moment, and she felt him grab her tightly. "That's amazing, Verena!" She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she gripped the back of his uniform in her fingers. "I thought you would be upset, Auruo…"

"Upset? How the hell could I be upset? I'm gonna be a dad!" he replied, a proud grin spreading across his lips. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, and then gave him the best of a stern glare she could manage at the moment. "You better not die, you arrogant bastard…" He scoffed, and fixed the cravat around his neck. "There's no way I'm going to die now, Verena. Not that I know I have not only one, but two waiting for me to return home."

She smiled softly, and gently kissed his lips. She then heard the bell tower begin ringing, and she sighed quietly. "Promise me you'll come home?" He gave her a small smile, and kissed her forehead.

"**_I promise_**."

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Several months passed, and each week, Verena got letters from her lover. He would talk about stupid things, near death experiences, and sometimes, he even added his own cocky flair that she loved so much. She always expected her letters at the end of each week, and she loved that she could still hear from him.

Unfortunately, she couldn't write back to him, but that was alright in her mind. He knew she was safe back inside the walls, and she knew he was safe outside the walls as long as she continued receiving her letters. After all, an expecting mother needed to know that the father of her child was alright.

Around the end of month six, when Verena was now eight and a half months along, she stopped receiving anything at the end of each week. There were no letters delivered to her, like normal. Naturally, this worried her to no end, and it got to the point she sat in front of her window every day, staring at the gate leading out of the city in hopes the Regiment would return.

On the day that the bells sounded in the tower to announce the return of the Regiment, Verena was one of the first to make her way outside. Granted it was much harder for her now than it was when she wasn't carrying a child, but a determined woman knows not the word "stop." She watched as the beaten and bloodied soldiers marched through the gate, several boxes of new items in their possession. She realized that the Regiment had finally met their goal, and her heart raced in her chest at the thought of the war with the Titans finally ending.

She watched as Eren, Armin, and Mikasa entered through the gate, followed lastly by Levi and Erwin. Levi's horse carried himself, and a passed out Petra behind him. He glanced over at the woman who was so anxiously awaiting their return, only to remove his gaze from her and move it to the ground. Verena felt her heart stop in her chest, and she had to force herself to keep breathing for a moment.

She managed to follow the Regiment back to their cabin, and she watched as Levi helped the sleeping Petra off the back of his horse. He held her against him and walked in front of the woman he had left behind during the expedition. "Verena, I-" "Don't you dare talk to me like you're going to be sorry. You have the balls to save Petra, but not him? Huh? Is that it? Putting her before anyone else now that she confessed to you?" Levi watched as the emotion-riddled woman grew blurry-eyed from her tears, and his eyes followed them as they rolled down her cheeks.

"I can't believe I trusted you… I knew I shouldn't-" "Verena, would you just calm down?" She stopped as she felt a hand be placed on her shoulder, and she turned, gripping the wrist of whoever it belonged to. "How dare you-" She stopped mid-sentence, and stared at the person in front of her. There stood Auruo, a cheeky, arrogant grin spread across his face. "Think of the baby…"

She felt her lower lip quiver and more tears tainted her cheeks. "You ass! How can you just come out of nowhere like that…?!" He smiled nervously, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "You must have missed me coming inside… I was one of the first ones inside." She simply stared at him, and then frowned. "Why the hell did you stop writing me letters? I was worried as hell, Auruo!" He laughed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"**_We ran out of parchment_**."


	16. Family

_**_Wheee... nothing much to say really. I just hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. Remember that I love each and every one of you, and to tell me what you think~_**_

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_God, I remember the next few weeks. It was pretty painful, actually. Little one was getting more and more active by the day, and God, sometimes it hurt. But, you know, that pain is actually the greatest thing a mother can feel. No matter how much someone tries to deny it, that pain proves that you were strong enough to bring a new, living life into this world. And that, is the greatest feeling ever_.

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Auruo paced around outside, his fingers twitching both with anxiety and excitement. His wife had gone into labor a few hours ago, and Hanji wouldn't allow him into the room to see what was going on. Levi, who happened to be in the room along with Jean, Eren, and Petra, scoffed at the man who was nervous beyond all compare.

"Auruo, will you sit your ass down? You're making me nervous," He muttered as he crossed one leg over the other. "You? Well you're not the one who's about to become a father, are you?" Auruo replied, his voice shaking slightly. This made Levi sigh quietly, and he glanced away. "Well, I guess you're right. At least you married her before the kid was born."

"You better be good to her, ya understand me? She's a really close friend of mine. I'll kick your ass if you don't," Jean muttered as he leaned his shoulder against the wooden wall. "Jean, calm down… I'm pretty sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt her," Eren replied as he rose to his feet from the chair he was sitting in.

"Oh, and Auruo, make sure that you spend plenty of time with your baby. And don't forget to bring him around every now and again!" Petra said, a bright smile spreading across her lips. This earned a slight smile from him, and he nodded in reply. "A-alright…"

The door behind them opened, and all heads turned in that direction. There stood Hanji, rubbing her hands on a small towel she held within them. "Alright, Auruo. You can come inside now. And um… I think you're in for quite a surprise. I know I was." This made not only Auruo, but everyone, curious. He walked into the room, everyone else following suit.

Auruo stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his exhausted wife on the small bed in the room. There in her arms, she held not only one child, but two. "Congratulations, Auruo! You had twins!" Hanji exclaimed as she slapped him on the back. He blinked, still in utter shock that he had two children. He walked over beside his barely-awake wife, and she gave him a tired smile. "One girl… and one boy… what should we name them…?" she breathed.

He knelt down beside her, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "Well… we could go for what we originally planned for the boy… Hope. And you choose for the girl, sweetheart…" Verena smiled weakly again, and gave a soft kiss on her baby girl's forehead. "I like Aliza…" This earned a small smile from Auruo, and he nodded. "Good… now get some rest, alright? You really need it."

No sooner had he said this did she completely pass out. "Auruo, sit down! I want you to hold your babies!" Hanji giggled as she shoved him down onto a small chair near the window. She then carefully brought his baby girls over, setting one on each of his arms. He had to admit, he was slightly nervous about holding such small things, but he quickly got over it once his fatherly instincts kicked in.

They both looked exactly the same, except for a few very minor differences. Hope, the little boy, held a lighter color of Auruo's hair color, while Aliza held a lighter brown like that of her mother. He was anxious to know what color their eyes were, but he knew he would have to wait a few weeks. He watched as Aliza wriggled about slightly, and opened her mouth in an almost silent yawn. He grinned, placing his lips on her forehead in a very light kiss.

He noticed that his little boy was very quiet. According to something Hanji had told him a while back, baby boys were normally quite loud. But, he thought both of them were perfect just the way they were, and he wouldn't change them for anything in the world.

"Oi, let me see them…" Auruo looked up to see his Corporal leaning over them, his eyebrow cocked slightly. "Well, well. They're… interesting, I'll give them that…" he continued as he began to gently rub his forefinger against Aliza's cheek. He stopped whenever she took a hold of his finger, and this earned a very faint smile from him. "Auruo, make sure you take care of them. From now on, I want you to stay here behind the walls. With the information we recovered from Jaeger's basement, the war with the Titans is finally ending."

Auruo looked up at his superior, his head nodding slightly. "Heichou, I know it's not much, but thank you for saving me so many times. I know I was an arrogant bastard, but you taught me a lot. It's only now that all of this has happened, that I've realized what kind of man I want to be. What kind of man I _need_ to be." Levi tsked, shooting a slight glare to his squadmate. "Don't get all mushy on me, Auruo. Damn…" he muttered.

When Verena finally awoke, she saw that everyone was still in the room. And, much to her surprise, her children were still quiet. "It's about time you woke up… I think these two are getting hungry," Jean said as he walked over and placed her children in her arms. She laughed quietly, and Jean glanced away as she began to breastfeed them. "So, I take it each of you got to see them?"

Jean nodded. "Even Levi Heichou held them. I think he likes them." "Quiet, Kirchstein. But, yes, I held them as well, Verena." She gave a slight smile at the raven-haired man, and then felt a hand gently cup her cheek. She sighed softly, pressing her cheek against her husband's hand. "I love you, Verena." "And I love you, you arrogant bastard…" she replied, a gentle smile spread across her lips.

His lips formed into a slight smile, and he moved a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "I may not be a perfect man, but for you, I can try…" Verena heard Levi scoff, and she glanced over at him. "God damn, Auruo. All this love has turned you into a huge ball of mush." Verena laughed. "Heichou, just wait until you and Petra get as far along as we are. I'll be waiting to hear just how you sound, too."

This earned the faintest of a smile from him, and he nodded before walking out of the room. "Well, Verena, you can head home tonight if you'd like. You seem well enough to me. And the little ones are just fine too. So, you can go whenever you'd like," Hanji said as she sat down in her chair. She sighed heavily, obviously exhausted from her busy day.

"Thanks, Hanji. Without you, our little ones wouldn't be here." Hanji grinned. "Well, come on! I need someone to play with!" Verena giggled, and Auruo shot her a glare. "You do anything remotely stupid with them, and I swear to God…" She shot him a sly grin, and leaned back in her chair. "I can't promise that. But, I'll probably just play with them. They're too damn adorable. Kinda like mini Titans!"

Auruo scoffed and watched his now sleeping children. "They are _nothing_ like Titans, understand? Do _not_ compare them to those abominations." He stopped, a small smile forming on his lips as he continued to watch over the new members of his small family.

"**_These are innocent lives that need to be protected. And I'm going to do just that_**."


	17. Look to the Future - Fin

_**Hey, everyone. I'm very sorry for this delayed ending, but a lot of stuff came up in my life that I had a really hard time dealing with. I wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate each and every one of you for sticking by me until the end, and how much I love you guys. Thank you so much.**_

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_Well… that's about all I can tell you except for a final few things. Aliza and Hope, along with Auruo, are my entire world now. And let me tell you, there is nothing on the face of this planet that you could offer me for them. They're my family, and thanks to the many efforts and lives people gave, we can finally live real lives_.

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Over the course of the next few years, humanity slowly began to rebuild itself. Titan numbers were falling quickly, much due to Hanji and her amazing scientific skills after coming into contact with what the Regiment had recovered on their most recent expedition. Eventually, both home and heart began to move outward, finally settling beyond the cages they once called home.

Many of the soldiers who had fought in the Scouting Regiment decided they would move as far outward as possible. The squad leaders, such as Levi, Erwin, and Hanji, all moved to a small area near the ocean borderline; this discovery that the ocean was so close intrigued everyone, but only the squad leaders were allowed to reside there for the time being.

Levi requested that both Petra's family and Auruo's be moved there as well, and it was done. Another request of Levi, was that a dedication site for all the soldiers who died in battle be built in an open area near his own home. This would take some time, but Levi knew that Erwin would get it done. Much had to be done since the defeat of the Titans, but humanity was already taking a huge leap forward.

On the shore, several shouts of children could be heard probably around the world. This was much to the dismay of Auruo, who was attempting to enjoy a quiet day with his wife and newborn twins. "Damn brats… I have no idea why my mother decided to have so many kids…" he muttered, shooting his younger siblings steely glares. "Oh Auruo, calm down. They're just enjoying the day much like we are…" Verena replied, her cheek coming to rest on his shoulder.

He glanced over at her, and began to play with a few locks of her brown hair. "I suppose you're right…" His gaze dropped to his son and daughter, both of which were now three years old and tussling about with each other on the sand. "Hey, hey, you two. Don't hurt yourselves, alright?" he said, a very slight sternness to his voice. Both of them turned to look at him, and they grinned.

Before he could say anything, he had two little ones climbing on top of him and dragging him down onto the sand. "H-hey! Calm down…!" Verena couldn't help but giggle, and she gently pulled her two children off of their father. "Oi, can't you kids learn to play nice with your father?"

All heads turned to look towards where those words had originated, and Verena grinned as she saw none other than her previous Corporal, along with his new wife and almost three year old son. "Well, well, well. Look who it is," Auruo said as he rose to his feet and brushed the sand off of his clothes. "Go play with Hope and Aliza, okay, Farlan?" Petra said as she placed her son gently on the sand.

"Farlan? So you decided to go with that name after all, hmm?" Levi glanced over at his former subordinates, and sighed quietly. "Yes. It was a very hard decision that I had to make, seeing as how I wanted to remember all of my friends. But, Farlan could be first, seeing as how Petra and I intend on having more children," he replied as he rested his hand on Petra's waist.

"Indeed. Levi and I want to have around three to four children, and we agreed that if we had more boys, we would name them after Gunther and Eld," Petra added as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder. "Well, I'm sure that they all appreciate that you're trying to remember them. But, make sure you're not putting grief on yourself either, Levi…" Verena said as she folded her arms across her chest. "You have a bad habit of dwelling on things, and you shouldn't allow that to affect the family you have now."

Levi cocked his eyebrow, and he shook his head. "Verena, you misunderstand. I didn't name my children after those I lost to give myself grief and pain. I wish to name my children after them so I can remember what it was like to be with them. For you see, Gunther, Eld, Farlan, and Isabelle all gave me the thing I wanted most. They gave me the will to live on, and make sure that I accomplished my goals in life. They gave me joy in the hellish world we lived in, and remembering that is what I want most."

Verena was silent for a moment, and a small smile crossed her lips. "Levi, you may not talk much, but whenever you do, it seems like you always give these amazing, inspirational speeches…" Auruo frowned, a small huff leaving his lips. "Hmph. I can make up stuff like that too, ya know…" Petra laughed, clinging gently to Levi's arm. "Oh, Auruo. You never change, you know that? You're still as jealous and egotistical as always…"

"Actually, Petra… that's where you're wrong." Petra blinked, taken slightly aback by Verena's comment. "Over the past few years… Auruo has changed himself. Even if he doesn't notice it, I did. He's not egotistical anymore. He doesn't act anything like he used to back when I first became a part of your squadron. I don't know if it was becoming a father, or a lover, or whatever it was, but he changed himself."

She leaned up on her toes, placing a soft kiss on her husband's cheek. "But, even if he was the same man, that's who I fell in love with in the first place…" Auruo pursed his lip, his cheeks flushing a slight shade of red. "Verena, quit it… you're embarrassing me…" This only earned a smile from his wife, and she gripped his hand tightly in her own.

"You know, Auruo, when I first assigned Verena to you as her caretaker, I never thought that you would eventually become a couple. I simply assigned her to you because I knew she could change you. I knew that if I didn't do something, you and your cocky attitude would get you killed, and I had no intention of letting that happen." Auruo turned his attention to his previous Corporal, and then sighed quietly as he looked at his children, once again tussling around on the sand.

"Heichou… there is nothing in my life that I would change. Granted, I didn't like the idea of being a caretaker to her at first, but I didn't know what would happen. If it wasn't for you, my family wouldn't exist right now. Hell, I probably wouldn't even be here. So, thank you."

Levi tsked, and folded his arms across his chest. "Don't get all mushy on me now, Auruo. You know how much I hate the mushy talk." Verena giggled quietly, and felt Auruo's grip on her hand tighten slightly. She glanced up at him, then at her children, and finally at her Corporal and his wife.

"_Just like Levi said, you always have to make a choice you won't regret. He made a choice to put me in his squadron, and I know for a fact that he doesn't regret it. Though life holds many uncertainties and hardships, we always have to look to the goal that lies in our future." _

_"__**And I know for certain that we won't regret it.**_"

~Fin~


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